Butterflies with Broken Wings
by Thunder Croft
Summary: Post 06, in which Silver remembers everything, Shadow remembers nothing and they find themselves being inexplicably drawn to each other, despite the fact that everything seems to be against them, including themselves. Shadilver
1. Prologue

Author's note: **If you're looking for a slow(ish)-burn fic, with LOTS of pining and romance and fluff, but also with a deeper analysis of how a traumatized time traveller who knows too much, and a guilt-ridden Ultimate Life Form who knows too little, desperately try to make things work while fighting their own demons...then you've come to the right place! :D**

 **MalexMale relationship (Shadow/Silver). Rating is currently at T, but could go up. If it does go up in a chapter, I will put a warning at the start of said chapter.**

 **Thanks to** Skyeapplepie **, who has helped with endless chapters and encouraged me throughout, even when I asked the most boring of questions, like whether I should write in past or present tense** — **but who also lent me her spirit, picked me up when I was down and has been my rock. Thank you!**

Disclaimer: **I own nothing! All rights belong to the respective owners.**

 **Please leave a review, to help me improve and to make me happy beyond belief!**

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 **1\. Prologue**

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Dazzling, purple flashes dance around each other, miles and miles above him. They swirl and swoop, with a will of their own, before connecting together and enveloping him. He snaps his eyes shut, until the light dies down, and then tentatively looks around.

Solaris is dead. Or gone, at the very least. There's no sign of it, not anymore — but, still, the endless abyss of moody cloud remains, like a bad omen. He can just see to the end of the platform, to the sandstone boarder, perhaps a tiny bit beyond, but nothing after that. Glancing down, he lifts his hand from the ground; he is lying on a chalk-yellow painted sun, right in the centre.

"W-Where...?"

"We're still in the rift. Sonic and Princess Elise were sent to put out the Flame of Solaris."

Silver's eyes dart left. A solemn, dark figure looms, about three paces away, with his arms defensively folded over his chest. His head turns, briefly. Silver swallows something down, in his throat, as he drowns in that crimson stare.

"Put out the Flame of Solaris?" Silver echoes, blearily clambering to his feet. He ponders upon decreasing the distance between them: it wouldn't be difficult, one step forward, and then a second, that's all it would take. But he can't muster the courage, "You mean, it's not over?"

The arms are uncrossed, and then lowered, slowly freeing the stiff tension in the upper muscles. He blinks, but it's just one beat too long: _No, it's not over_. Searching for a distraction, Silver marvels at the black quills, streaked with red, before the figure catches him. The offensive stance is militarized; perfect in posture.

Slightly unnerved, Silver takes a step back and clenches his fists, staring at the ground. The gruff clearing of a throat cuts through the air — he looks up. The black and red hedgehog is regarding him, questioningly, albeit with a suspicious edge.

"...How do you know that?" Silver, clamping his eyes shut, berates himself and runs his tongue over his lips. He sounds so nervous, alarmed and unsure of himself. _Good going, Silver_ , "I mean, about the Flame? Did you see it?"

He considers this, for a moment, clearly deeming it a valid question. When their eyes meet, the blood red stare glows. Is that a sign of danger, or warmth? Silver doesn't know. It frightens him; it excites him. Right now, it's impossible to pinpoint the ebony hedgehog's emotions — they are shoved to the back, in hidden depths. Silver longs to know what's going through his mind: _Just what is he thinking?_

Their exchange — Is it hopeful? Lost? Yearning? Again, Silver doesn't know — won't be resolved until one of them speaks. The roof of his mouth is instantly dry, but Silver manages to summon the name, "...Shadow?"

Now the defences rise even higher. The taut fabric of Shadow's gloves strains against his clenched fists; his stance is wide, legs far apart, shoulders pushed back; his eyes burn and bellow with their mistrust.

Something constricts in Silver's stomach. That look is tearing him to pieces, but he can't explain why. It's not fear, though Shadow's expression is easily the most intimidating thing he's ever seen — something else is dwelling in the pit of his belly, consuming him, coiling and tightening. _Is that...disappointment?_

"What is it?" Shadow scowls at him, from where he stands. Silver's pause seems to irritate him further, as the scathing look deepens.

"I-I'm not sure. It's nothing, really."

Unsatisfied by that answer, Shadow cruelly lets the silence drag on. It suffocates them both, when they have so much to say, and so much to ask, and not enough time to do it in. Silver knows that he can't let this moment pass — soon, they will be thrown back into their own lives, with their connection torn. He doesn't know why he feels such a strong pull, towards the ebony hedgehog, but it has grown and grown, in the short time since they met. If Silver can just prompt Shadow to open up, even a little bit, then perhaps their parting won't feel so raw.

"What happens, when the Flame disappears? Will Solaris be gone for good?" He hates feeling so lost, so disorientated, by all that has happened. Everything has been unexpected and impossible to predict, with no clear path for them to follow. Yet, even so, Shadow has always radiated this omniscient air of knowing, as if he's calculated a response for every eventuality. Maybe he has. This idea calms Silver.

He fears that Shadow is still angry about his vague response. He doesn't look entirely happy, that much is true, but he grudgingly answers, "...It seems that, without the Flame, Solaris will be eradicated from the universe, in all time streams. It will be wiped from history," Shadow lets his stare linger, and Silver picks up on the heavy significance of his words.

"...The future will be saved?" A joyous melody bubbles up, in his voice.

"Yes. None of this will have happened."

The unimaginable weight, which Silver hadn't even known he was carrying, is finally lifted from his shoulders. At last, after all the sacrifices that he's made and seen, everything will be alright. And, not only that, the horrors he's witnessed will be reversed. Blaze will be returned to him! He will be able to leave all of this behind, and...!

"...You and I..." Silver swallows against the catch in his victory, "We'll have never met, will we?"

"...No."

"W-Will we remember? All of this? All that we went through?"

The scowl had faded, long before now, and Shadow replaces it with an unfamiliar look of pity. It softens his features and makes them look quite beautiful, "...No. We won't."

The burden is released back into his body and wrenches his heart down from its elevated position. Silver scrunches his face up, in furious despair, and spins on his heel, not wanting Shadow to see his hurt. Why had he not seen this coming? Everything so far — absolutely everything — had come with a price. And this is the price for his freedom, from all this.

Shadow doesn't say anything. Silver numbly realises that his upset is completely ridiculous: they practically met yesterday (two days ago, if being generous), and haven't spent more than an hour in each other's company. Their contact has been strictly professional — Silver had been too distracted to even think about getting to know Shadow, on a deeper level. How can he feel so distraught, at the prospect of leaving someone he hardly knows?

"You're shaking."

His chest feels tight and constricting, and he's trying to hold everything in. Silver doesn't even know that he's crying, until a tear slips down the curve of his jaw. _Why am I crying?_ "...I-I'm fine."

The stagnant pause in the air presses against him. Shadow doesn't say a single word, but his scepticism roars, loudly: he knows that Silver isn't alright, not in the slightest, but doesn't make any moves to do something about it.

Then there is the faint tap of skates, stepping forward, and Silver's breath hitches.

Hastily, he tries to swipe away the stray tear from his face, without Shadow seeing. His heart thuds and smacks against his chest. Silver can sense the ebony hedgehog behind him, emitting a strange atmosphere, one which he can't quite place. There it is again: that strained tug, in his stomach, which is fluttery and solid, all at once.

"It's as if it never happened," Shadow's cold tone slashes Silver's fluttering sensation into pieces, as he suddenly moves away; "It will be better, this way."

"How can you say that?" Silver is taken aback by the hurt in his voice, amongst the aching feelings that linger with it. He chances a sly look over his shoulder, to gage Shadow's reaction. Their stares are drawn together, again, and his golden eyes flee in the other direction. The crimson orbs appear blank, but are set in a frown.

"Have I upset you?"

Silver doesn't blame him for being angry, because he knows that this whole conversation is stilted, weird and downright off. He himself finds it all just as confusing: none of these feelings make sense. He is ecstatic with the knowledge that he will see Blaze again, unharmed, and dreams of the future that awaits them. He really wants to forget that any of this ever happened, to block it from his memory, as if that's true.

But then that means turning his back on Shadow, breaking the bond between them, whatever it is. Silver's longing for him has come out of nowhere, but it is there, and it is begging him not to do this.

If he could stop it, he would try, he really would. But they have mere minutes together — Sonic and Elise are removing Solaris from history, at this very moment. It's too late to do anything. Why are they even here, anyway? Is it to inflame his feelings towards Shadow, one last time, only to then rip him away from Silver? Is that it? One final victory, for Mephiles and Iblis, against Silver?

Mere minutes together. He needs to make them count, "Shadow? Can we...can we talk?" His voice is remarkably calm, considering the tension in his throat.

"Talk?"

"Yeah."

"We are talking."

"No, I mean, talk about something else. Please?"

"Something else? Like what?"

"Anything. Absolutely anything—" Silver turns, overcome by the desire to know what Shadow is thinking. Guarded, but somehow receptive to Silver's request, he stares and silently asks him to continue, "...I just...well, I guess I'm curious. We saved the universe together and...I don't know anything about you. I-I'd like to get to know you better."

He seems to be trying to decode what Silver is saying, "You won't remember any of it."

"That doesn't matter. I'll know it, for a short amount of time, and I'll know that I tried."

"I see," It's obvious that he doesn't quite understand, but Silver is grateful for him trying. He wonders if Shadow also feels these strange feelings and is just as nervous as he is, right now. It doesn't seem likely: Shadow is aloof and controlled, always keeping his emotions in check; Silver can pour his whole heart out, in one sentence, "What do you wish to know?"

Silver's lips part, but no sound comes out. The intrigue on Shadow's face implores him to think of a question, one which will truly connect them — but, suddenly, everything feels wrong. The light questions are too simple, not powerful enough. He can't just ask what Shadow does for a living, or where he lives, or how old he is — he can't fritter away their time, on such casual topics.

But he can't dive into the big stuff, either. It's far too early in their relati— _friendship_ , to ask about Shadow's past, or the hugely traumatic experience that he is clearly still suffering from, or how he had ended up in this place, right here, right now.

There just isn't enough time for them.

Frantic with indecision and pressure, Silver is at a loss for words, "I-I don't know. I mean, there's so much that...a-and I just can't...it's not fair that—!"

"Silver."

Hearing his name, uttered from those lips, by that voice, in this place...Silver shivers. It feels like the stunning ring of metal, slicing the tension, and passing into his bones. His whole presence has been shattered and messily placed back together, but it's strangely alluring, and he likes it.

He wants to hear it again.

"I'm sorry," Silver clings onto composure, flittering between feelings of embarrassment, confusion and warmth, "I know, none of that made any sense; it's all awkward and coming out wrong, but I don't know why. Maybe it's because I'm...nervous, or because I'm racing against the clock."

"Why are you nervous?"

"I-I'm not sure," An obvious lie, but both of them decide to ignore it, "Aren't you?"

"I don't see any need to be."

"Oh," It comes out much louder than he intends, and Silver wants to kick himself, because Shadow has most definitely heard it, along with the hurt in his voice. He probably looks completely crestfallen, too — Blaze calls the expression 'Puppy-dog eyes' and absolutely hates it. His next words come out in a tangled mess, quiet and mumbling, "Nevermind."

The embarrassment swells. For his own sake, Silver turns away from Shadow, dutifully staring at the floor, wishing that he couldn't feel the ebony hedgehog's intense stare, digging into his back.

"Something is troubling you."

Listening to that spine-chilling, low rumble only serves to hurt him more, because it sounds so inviting and caring, "What gave you that idea? I'm fine, Shadow, really. Nothing is troubling me; I'm just wondering what's happening with Sonic, and how he's getting on with the Flame, and whether he—"

"Silver."

He cautiously looks back, frozen in place, and promptly crumbles under the heat of Shadow's glare. Silver's legs threaten to give out, from underneath him — he'd been reprimanded, before, but it had never sounded like that. Dangerous and scolding and frustrated...yet, enticing and resolute and attractive.

Argh, and those eyes! They're practically smouldering. The flames of Crisis City couldn't even compare!

Shadow watches, confused, as the grey hedgehog attempts to avoid his gaze. It seems to really irritate him, for some reason — he swiftly grips Silver's left shoulder, firmly but not painfully, and only seems to have a moment of clarity when their eyes meet, "I'm the reason for your nervousness."

Even though it is said as a statement, Silver can tell that he wants some form of affirmation, "W-Well...!" He blushes, and Shadow straightens up.

"You can at least tell me why."

"I...I really can't."

He frowns again, at that, "Why not?"

"You won't like it when you hear it."

"That's not—"

A lustrous flash of white light interrupts him. Silver shields his eyes, as he throws a hand over them, and Shadow grits his teeth in a burning hiss. When the glow finally dies down, and they've been sufficiently blinded, two figures emerge and perk up with surprised recognition. Silver rapidly blinks and watches a streak of blue move towards them.

"Shadow?" Sonic places his hand on the ebony hedgehog's shoulder, who disdainfully glares at it but seems glad for the distraction. Silver tries to ignore the feeling of knots enclosed around his heart, and swallows when Sonic's glimmering eyes land on him, "Silver? What's going on?"

"I'd ask you the same," Shadow juts his chin upwards, to the girl standing behind Sonic, awkwardly out-of-place. It's Princess Elise, Silver realises, and wonders if he should bow or something. She doesn't seem to notice the lack of respectful gestures, however, as her eyes are firmly fixed on the floor, shimmering. He wonders what's wrong and why she's close to tears, "Were you successful? Has the Flame been blown out?"

"Yeah, it's done. I assumed that it'd take us back and sort everything out, but I guess not..." Sonic shrugs, casually, as if it's a minor hindrance but _oh well_ , "Now what? Use the Chaos Emeralds to teleport out?"

"Chaos Emeralds?" Silver repeats. What on Mobius can he be talking about? There's no Chaos Emeralds anywhere to be found—

He eats his words, when he follows Sonic's pointed finger, and spies two jewels, neatly resting on the ground behind him. Silver approaches the nearest one — beautiful sapphire-blue — and turns it over in his hand. He glances over at Shadow, who's crouched beside him, glaring at the other Chaos Emerald. It's lime-green. ( _They're the emeralds from before_ , Silver recalls, _from when we fought and created that portal. The first time I used Chaos Control._ )

"These weren't here before," Shadow mutters, angrily, but doesn't ask Silver to back him up. Silver nods, anyway, "They must have arrived with you two."

The black and red hedgehog stands, gripping it tightly in one hand, and purposefully ignores Silver's pleading stare, by glaring at the emerald. He suddenly seems furious and he's doing an awful job at hiding it. Is this about earlier, when Silver wouldn't answer his question? It must be. He'd seemed fine before that.

"Hate to break up the party," Sonic buts in, "But this place ain't gonna last long. Time's being erased and rewritten, right? I don't think we'll wanna be here, when that happens. Unless you wanna spend an eternity with me, Shads?"

"Sonic's right," Quietly, Elise lets a smile spread across her lips, her eyes distant with a memory, "We need to let nature take its course and...and move back, into our old lives."

Silver toys with the emerald, in his hands, watching the light reflect off, in pretty rays and beams. Tightening his grip, he looks up and blinks, determinedly fixing his gaze on Sonic and Elise. Shadow looms at the edge of his sight, "Let's go then."

Elise's features soften, almost pitifully, but Silver tries not to think about that. Even Sonic stills in confusion, casting a look at the grey hedgehog, before frowning and glancing towards Shadow.

Silver can't bear to look at him, but meets his gaze as they raise their arms, emeralds in hand. Shadow is entirely expressionless. It shouldn't hurt as much as it does.

"Chaos...Control!" They yell in unison.

Two portals explode into existence: one steadily beats behind Elise; the other flickers at Silver's shoulders. Shadow stares at the gateway, which presumably leads to the future, and then resettles his roaring eyes on Silver, who instantly flushes.

"Guess that's our ride," Sonic comments, experimentally reaching for his own portal — the one that leads to the past.

Elise smiles at Silver, again, as she steps closer to the blue hedgehog, "We should go, Sonic."

He jumps, when he catches on, "Right! Yeah! Uh, see you on the other side, Shadow? And Silver...thanks, buddy."

"Goodbye," Silver manages to choke out, as they share a glance and are enveloped by the pulsating light. The portal remains intact, and doesn't close in on itself, as it waits for the last person, "...I suppose...this is it."

He's staring at the floor.

"Yes..." The hesitance in Shadow's voice is almost enough to persuade him, to force him to look up and confess. Not quite enough, though, "It is."

"I hope we meet again, b-but..." _That definitely won't happen._

"It's...unlikely."

"Yeah," Silver drags his boot across the floor and hates himself, because this could be his last chance to look into his eyes and say something, but he can't look up, "Look after yourself, okay, Shadow?"

"I will. Same to you. I hope this has changed things for you, Silver."

He waits, analysing the risks, but decides to throw caution to the wind and raises his head, "Shadow, I—"

His heartbeat slows, with each beat delayed by disappointment and regret. As he stares at his desolate surroundings, abandoned by everyone, save for him — ( _but he's been abandoned too, so his presence means little_ , he glumly thinks) — he wonders what would be the harm in remaining here, staring at the spot where the portal had been; where Shadow had once stood.

But there's a whole future behind him, flickering and calling out. A future where his mind and heart are intact, healthy, unbroken. Where everything is full of promise, and happiness, and it's _good_. He should want to go there, seek refuge there, and try to forget the pain that he won't even remember.

He tries to kill the nagging, teasing voice that says _but what if there's some way to change all of this, to hold onto these memories, and maybe do something differently? There has to be a way, right? It can't end like this!_

But Silver has had his fair share of miracles.

He doesn't expect any more.


	2. In My Dream of an Absolution

Author's note: **Thank you ever so much to** TheMidnightShadow, RaCHyyTheMaskedWarrior, Haalyle, Guest **and** Kawaii **! Your awesome, encouraging comments mean more to me than you can imagine! And thank you to everyone who has stopped by and kindly read this story. I really appreciate it!**

 **Replies:**

TheMidnightShadow - **Thank you! ^_^ I'm so glad that you're liking Silver because I find that he's a bit of a difficult character to get right - I don't want him to be a complete romantic, but pretty fluffy, all the same xD I really hope you enjoy it!**

RaCHyyTheMaskedWarrior - **Ah, Shadilver is adorable! It's my first M/M fic and I'm absolutely loving it! Thank you! :D**

Haalyle - **Thank you so much - that means so much, coming from you! :'3**

Guest - **It makes me really happy to hear that, thank you! I'm aiming for chapters to be released every month...*fingers crossed because I will undoubtedly fail to live up to this promise***

Kawaii - **You bet I'm writing another chapter! :D I couldn't leave poor Silver all heartbroken, at the end, there! Aww, thank you! That so lovely to say! :')**

 **I'm exploding with anticipation for some adorable, awkward interactions between Shadow and Silver - I intend to stuff this story full of them, as much as I can - but there's too much fun to be had with lovesick-Silver, at the moment. I'm cruel because I love you, Silver ;)**

 **I'd love to know what you think of the chapters, and I'm very interested to know where you think this will go (I might not even know myself, at the moment!), so please let me know! Review if you want me to save Silver from love-struck-sighing himself to death xD**

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"And stood by the rose-wreathed gate. Alas,  
We loved, sir—used to meet:  
How sad and bad and mad it was—  
But then, how it was sweet!"

— _Confessions_ , Robert Browning

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 **2\. In My Dream of an Absolution**

* * *

"This has gone on for far too long."

Silver says nothing, letting his legs dangle over the edge of the three-storey building. His eyes of liquid gold lock onto the apartment window, with the electric 'R' buzzing underneath, even though the power has been switched off. A soda can sits next to him, half-drunk, and it rattles in the light breeze.

"You didn't tell me that this was what you had in mind," Still with no response, she silently fumes and strides dangerously-close to the drop. Silver gives her a quick glance, now alert, but eases up when she sits down, beside him, "It's unhealthy. I'm worried."

"I'm okay. Honestly."

Blaze turns her gaze away and bows her head, ever so slightly, but Silver picks up on her disappointment, expressed in those simple movements, "No, you're not. You've been all over the place. Silver, I can't..." She frowns, losing her thought, or perhaps she's decided against saying it out loud. Blaze analyses him, with the sun blaring down on their backs, on a freakishly hot Autumn's day, "You look pale. You'll pass out, at this rate."

"I'm _fine._ "

"I can't even begin to imagine what you think can be gained from this."

The grey hedgehog sighs, instantly feeling the guilt wash over him. It isn't fair that he's putting Blaze through this, when she's done nothing but stuck by him. Conflicted, and overcome by sudden loneliness, Silver places his hand upon hers. She seems surprised, as she straightens a little, but masks it well. He shakes his head, despondent, "I don't know what else there is. We were fighting so hard, for so long, for a peaceful future — nothing else mattered. And now it's here, and...I don't even know what to do with it. I put everything I had into fighting Iblis, but now it's gone, and I don't have anything left."

"We can rebuild ourselves. There's a future out there, Silver, and it exists because of us. We just need to adapt it, make it work, embrace the things we want from life," He's transfixed by what she's saying, amazed at how easy it all sounds. But then Blaze looks upset and pulls away, "But it's as if you don't want to try — if that's true, then I can't help but wonder what the point of it all was. Why did we bother changing things, if you just want to live in the past?"

Of course, Blaze is utterly correct — she always is, "I really wish I could be happy with it, Blaze, I really do. But it can't give me what I want."

"How can that be true? You didn't give it a chance. We spent no more than a few months there, before you begged me to help you return to the past. You said that there was something you needed, that you couldn't find anywhere else. I didn't think too much about it, but I didn't expect this. Why did you come back here, of all places? I don't understand it. This place holds terrible memories, when we were at our worst. What can you possibly remember, that was good, here?"

Silver leans forward, resting his arms on his thighs, as he peeks over the building's edge. Meanwhile, Blaze has gotten up and is rigidly pacing behind him, as she speaks. He keeps his eyes on the road below, a bone-shattering drop away, but can feel her frustrated glare, digging into his back.

"...That's what I'm trying to find out."

He hates lying to her. He's always hated lying to anyone, really, but doing it to Blaze makes his stomach particularly uneasy. It makes his face go hot and creates a need for him to bunch something up, in his fists. With nothing to hand, Silver settles for wringing his hands together, in a painful grip.

The sigh that comes from the feline can only be described as disappointed. In a quick flurry of panic, he wonders if she knows that he isn't telling the truth — but he manages to stifle his fear. If that were true, Blaze wouldn't waste any time: she'd demand an instantaneous explanation.

"I don't understand you, Silver," It isn't said in malice. He can hear the weak exasperation, mixed with a light attempt at humour.

A sad smile flickers on his lips, "Me neither."

Then, suddenly, a door slams, in the street below. Silver jumps and raises his head; a brief look passes between Blaze and himself, before they curiously stare in the direction of the noise. The hedgehog scrambles to his feet, vaguely worried by the wobbly feeling in his legs, whilst being so close to the edge. He runs his eyes along the opposite pavement.

 _Oh, Iblis_. Silver can feel himself falling in love, all over again. The sensation is something of a habit, because it's just so easy to do. One glance at ebony quills, at the gorgeous sweep of red all over the body, at the blazing eyes — Silver is slipping away, absolutely senseless, and embraces it, willingly _. By the Flames, I can't...!_

"Who is that?"

Reality bites at his heels, yanking Silver out of his dreamy state. He blinks, trying to compute what Blaze has just said, "S-Sorry?"

"Him. The black hedgehog," She tilts her head at the silence. Intrigue brands her features, upon seeing Silver's shell-shocked expression, "You know him. Who is he?"

"You don't remember him?"

Blaze straightens up, as her sight turns back to the ebony hedgehog. Silver's heart aches, as he stares too, only just listening to the soft lilt of her response, "I don't believe so. I presume he's from the Soleanna events? Another fragmented piece of our strange memories. If so, then you must have met him while I was separated from you: I don't recognise him."

"Yeah," Silver pretends to think back, as if the memories are difficult to recall. In truth, he's replayed those events in his head, over and over again, for a long time now — he's acutely aware of every detail, "You're right. He came with me, even further into the past, to find out what happened during the Solaris Project, ten years ago. I oversaw the sealing of Iblis — he dealt with Mephiles."

"His likeness to Mephiles is startling. Are you sure that they do not share any other qualities?"

He blinks, a little taken aback by her accusation, "No, not in the slightest. He absolutely despised Mephiles. He...he was the one to bring me to my senses."

Blaze doesn't look convinced, but picks up on the rising tension, and lets the matter drop, "Do you remember his name?"

 _It's been printed on my mind, ever since I met him. It's not a word, not anymore_ — _it's my lifeline._

"...Shadow." A shiver ripples through him.

Either Silver utters the name too loudly, or Shadow has incredibly fine-tuned hearing — the black hedgehog stiffens and snaps his head upwards, with narrowed eyes. Air is momentarily absent from his body, as Silver tosses his arm out, in front of Blaze, and ushers her backwards. He breathes a sigh of relief, when he's satisfied that Shadow can't possibly see them, from down there.

Blaze places a hand on her hip, sourly, and Silver can't help but think that it isn't a patch on Shadow's death glare. Then he feels guilty, "He doesn't remember anything, does he?"She frowns and waits for his confirmation.

"I don't think so," Something about his defeated tone makes her relent. Blaze drops her hand to her side, "From what I can tell, you and I are the only ones who kept the memories. Even the others, who were involved, remember nothing."

"You should remember that I didn't have the memories, either. Not instantly. You helped me to access them — somehow, you were the one who remembered everything," She glances away, briefly lost in thought, and then studies him, with astute, golden eyes, "Have you tracked down these others, to verify that they have no memory of it?"

"Well, I...not exactly..."

"You haven't? Then what have you been doing, all this time?" Silver glances down at his boots, ashamed, but his eyes wander. Blaze follows their direction, glaring, "Shadow? What about him? Why is he so important?"

"Look, it's not— " He turns, and focuses, feeling as though the ground has been ripped out, from underneath him. The grey hedgehog sprints to the ledge, hanging over it, searching for the ebony hedgehog, "Where did he go?"

Without waiting for Blaze to join him, Silver leaps off and plummets down, swept up in wind and gravity. Inches away from hitting concrete, he throws his hands out and activates his powers, thankful for the familiar embrace of their teal glow. They relinquish their hold and he is softly dropped to his feet. His mind is racing.

Shadow hasn't just disappeared from view — he's vanished from the area, entirely. Left with only silence and the faint smell of smoke, Silver lets his shoulders sink, in dismay, as he stares up at the face of Club Rouge. The neon-red letters are quiet, apart from that pesky 'R', which feels like a landmark, directing him towards Shadow's apartment window.

"Silver..." Blaze calls him over, in a grave tone. He instantly whips round, approaching as he does so. Her lean figure is crouched, lingering close to the road, and intently examining the tarmac. He bends down next to her, with his eyes widening at the scorch marks, "He must have made these tracks. We can follow them. But how—?"

"Hover-skates," Silver stares, wistfully, towards the grubby outskirts of the city. Something about this feels wrong. He's been tailing Shadow, for a couple of days, trying to get a better grasp of his personality: he can be spontaneous, but only when necessary. This departure feels urgent, like an emergency.

The time traveller darts forward and jumps — he lets his powers rip, enveloping his body, once more. Luckily, they are at full capacity, as there hasn't been much need for them, today. He just hopes that they will last long enough and that Shadow hasn't decided to travel to the other side of the planet.

Surging with anticipation, Silver flies off at break-neck speed, knowing that Blaze won't be able to chase after him, as is his intention. He's already put her through enough. This risk is his entirely own.

* * *

Silver stealthily picks his way through the robot's remains. Carnage is spread before him and he can only imagine that a huge struggle ensued, between the machines and their target: Shadow left no survivors. But Silver is selfishly grateful, because it makes tracking him down a lot easier, and he doesn't need any other distractions.

Determining Shadow's destination hadn't been too difficult, either. Even with his limited knowledge of the area, Silver had quickly worked out that the ebony hedgehog was heading towards a relatively-new lair of Doctor Eggman's, that had popped up in the last few days, a few hundred miles west of Club Rouge and Station Square. Shadow must have received some kind of message about Eggman's activities, Silver figures, and set out to put an end to them. The psychokinetic's heart swells with a strange emotion.

The heavy, metal door before him has been blasted open. Silver pauses in the doorway, briefly shocked by the sheer power that was required to destroy it, but presses on. It shouldn't surprise him — he's seen what Shadow can do, at full power. Still, there is something about the flaking sheets of aluminium — tarnished and crinkled by burns — that make him tense.

Following the corridor's path, he is forced to trek through yet more robotic devastation. Stray arms and snapped cables are littered across the floor, accompanied by an occasional circuit board, or the odd leg — Silver takes no pleasure from it. It seems awfully overkill. Even the security cameras have been torn from their holders, fading in the wreckage.

Eventually, Silver pursues the trail into the heart of the lair. Stepping through another set of doors, he reaches a platform, with the control room directly below. He grips the radioactive-yellow railings, before swinging himself over and landing in a crouch. His powers aren't even needed, this time.

He doesn't like being here. There is something too military about it, too mechanical — his unease grows by the second. The silence is the worst part; he hates the quiet.

And where is Shadow? Optimistically, Silver spots the widescreen computer monitors, on the left-hand wall, briefly wondering if he can hack into them, to access the footage of the remaining cameras. But the technology is foreign to him, or maybe just outdated, and he doesn't even know where to begin.

 _Clink_.

His ears prick up. Someone is behind him. Silver turns, but his eyes haven't even adjusted, when something punches him in the jaw, with a sickening crack.

"Argh—!" Sparkling pain. He presses a hand against his bruised skin, knocked back by the sheer momentum. With a wince, he looks up and braces himself, in case of another attack. The beat of his heart slows, "Wait, what the—?"

"Who sent you?" Shadow ignores Silver's pained reaction, as he swiftly slams another fist into his stomach, and then swipes his leg out, knocking the grey hedgehog off his feet.

The question falls on deaf ears. Silver's head is ringing and the room is fading out of focus. Limply, he rests on the floor, praying that Shadow will pause, just to hear him out. Instead, the ebony hedgehog strides forward and yanks him up by the arm.

"You made a grave mistake in following me."

"Please, just—!" The beg for mercy is cut off, as he's tossed across the room. The grated metal floor bites into his skin. Silver hisses, cradling his now-wounded shoulder, "Shadow, stop!"

"...How do you know my name?" Shadow is knocked off-guard, for a moment, but impatience creeps in, and Silver can hear the clatter of skates approaching. He manages to prop himself up, with his good arm, before gazing into roaring, crimson eyes, "Who are you?"

Stunned, Silver doesn't resist as Shadow grips his chest and pulls him upright. Spaced-out breaths escape from his lips, hitting the other's tanned skin. His heart rate is through the roof. The distance between them is so tantalizingly small.

Maybe the blows have knocked the sense out of him, because Silver knows that he shouldn't be thinking about things like that, at a time like this. But, for months, his affection has been exhaustingly long-distance, and being so close to Shadow feels like pure heaven. The pain is dull, in comparison.

When Shadow lets go, and watches as he roughly crashes against the floor, anguish quickly blossoms in Silver's features. There is a pause between them, as he wonders if he will be attacked again and as Shadow calculates the risk of letting his guard down. An eternity seems to pass.

"Answer me."

The tone is so...cold. It chills him straight to the bone. Repeating in his head, like a mantra, that they've technically never met, so it's not an irrational reaction, Silver stifles his upset, "I can't, it's..."

Shadow folds his arms, by way of communication: _I_ _don't care, answer the damn question_.

Why is this all going so horribly wrong? He doesn't want their reunion to be like this! With such tension, such distrust, such...hate.

Silver has dreamed about this moment for so long, ever since he'd worked out how to return to the past. In every waking moment, he'd been planning what he would say, trying the words out and how they felt on his tongue, picturing the black and red hedgehog's response. Sometimes, Shadow would remember him — Silver explains this away with 'love at first sight' and 'soul mates' and all the other things that Blaze refuses to believe in — and the outcome is gloriously simple, as if they've known each other all of their lives. Other times, Shadow doesn't know who he is, but stares at him in a way that makes Silver melt.

He's never envisaged that it would turn out like this.

"I'm wasting my time here..." And then Shadow is walking away, evidently angered, with gripped fists and rigid shoulders. Silver leaps up, stumbling with his disobedient, injured limbs, as he desperately tries to assemble his balance.

"Shadow!"

 _Please, not again!_

Silver takes the tense, unmoving limbs to mean that Shadow is listening. The black hedgehog shows no sign of turning around, to look at him, and the couple of yards that stretch between them feel awful, considering their previous close proximity. But Shadow is giving him a chance, just like before — he's not going to waste it again.

"I need you to hear me out, listen to me and trust me, while I explain what's going on." Determinedly, he clenches his fists.

Shadow glances to his right, processing the conditions, before he shifts back, "Explain what?"

"Well, I— "

Bricks rain down on them.

Silver throws his hands up, protecting his eyes and head, but listens to the low grunt that comes from Shadow, amid the clattering of bricks smashing against the floor. The psychokinetic hedgehog dashes forward, trying to get out of the line of fire, but wildly searching for black and red quills.

He skids to a halt, staring up at ten-feet of programmed violence and pain. Caterpillar tyres churn around, attached to the robot's base, and the great hulk of metal slides closer. Its stretched, rectangular head surveys the area, moving with a noise that sounds like someone rubbing their palms together. In the place where eyes should be, two red dots blink, as its claw-shaped hands fold in on themselves, swapping for machine guns.

"LIFEFORM DETECTED. NAME: SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG."

Silver glances left. Shadow is just oh-so-painfully out of his reach, with folded arms and an unamused expression.

"Stay out of the way."

Is he talking to Silver?

He must be, because he suddenly shoots off — faster than the eye can see — and hurls himself at the machine's torso. But the spindash is reflected, by the robot's backhand, sending Shadow spinning towards the wall. Just before impact, the skates land, legs bend, and he pushes off, using the momentum to go _even_ _faster_ , though it seems impossible.

Shadow grabs onto a raised panel, in the robot's armour, just as he flies past. With the briefest of grips, the ebony hedgehog glows red and delivers a barrage of punches to the metal surface — punch after punch after punch after punch after punch. He yells out, repeatedly, with the force of his hits.

Transfixed, Silver watches, as Shadow charges up his Chaos energy, shimmering and sparking, ready to smash it to pieces. Already, there is a gaping hole in the enemy's back, leading straight to its core.

But, somehow, Shadow has lost his hold, and the robot lashes out; vulnerable, he is smacked down, denting the ground and rolling onto his back, with a wounded groan.

"Shadow!"

The machine approaches his fallen figure, reloading its bullets.

He's been told not to get involved. This is definitely a bad idea. But he's already in too deep and he isn't going to stand here and watch Shadow get hurt.

Silver concentrates his power on the fallen figure, wearing a small smile, when it is surrounded by turquoise. He moves his hand to the left, just as bullets rain down on that singular spot.

Shadow softly grunts, as Silver places him back down. The psychokinetic hedgehog looks up, staring into dead, unblinking eyes, encased in metal.

"LIFE FORM DETECTED. NO DATA HAS BEEN SUBMITTED."

Golden eyes dart downwards, swelling with concern, before he leaps into the air — his powers propel him forward, to the other side of the control room. Attempting to track his movements, the robot bumbles about in reverse, turning itself around and facing Silver.

Silver quickly scans the room for something to throw: barrels, crates, anything will do. How can there be such a distinct lack of _things_ , here? Everything appears to be bolted down; he doesn't want to level the whole place, while they're still inside.

' _I need something to throw!'_ Silver thinks, panicking.

The grey hedgehog takes off, sprinting around the perimeter of the room, focusing his mind on the enemy, with an outstretched hand. It's surrounded by a bubble of psychokinesis, but he somehow just can't manipulate his abilities into telekinesis — the machine is too strong and remains firmly on the ground.

"Why is nothing working?!" He looks up and digs his heels into the ground. Silver's boots screech, as they slide against metal, and he stops.

Shadow is now standing, with folded arms, as if his skull hasn't been smashed against a wall, "It appears that the Doctor's inventions are hardier than I anticipated." He fixes his stare on the large Eggman-insignia, on the robot's left shoulder, and Silver wonders how he missed it.

"What can we do?" His heart lifts, when Shadow considers his question, somewhat amiably.

"Our combined abilities will be enough to destroy it."

"...Okay. Let's do this."

Shadow nods, letting his stare linger — Silver's heart thuds against his chest, unhealthily fast — before he blasts off towards the end wall. The time traveller holds his hand up, about to yell out, because how will they know what to do, if they don't discuss it? But Shadow pushes himself off from the ground, as if it's a springboard, curling into a tight ball, and Silver knows what he has to do.

He focuses his energy around Shadow's form, and hurls the ebony hedgehog into the robot. He breaks a little, as the sickening crack sounds across the room, and the enemy crumples backwards. As soon as Shadow lands, the process repeats until they've pushed it back, into the wall.

"Hold it!" Shadow barks, skating towards it. Silver does as he's told, concentrating on limbs that strain against his psychokinesis, to the point where he's shaking and a headache has formed. Silver listens to the grunts and clanging of metal, as Shadow rains down with Chaos attacks, willing himself to last _just a little bit longer_.

Dots have formed in his vision, by the time the robot is slumping and defenceless, with exposed wires.

Shadow leaps back to Silver, breathing heavily. The grey hedgehog is doubled over, with his hands pressing into his knees, and doesn't have enough energy to look up into the crimson eyes, which are tinted with curious concern, "Are you able to perform one last hit?"

"...Yeah. I can."

Apparently, their in-tune thoughts have been broken, because Shadow feels the need to explain, "If you can throw me, I can perform a Chaos Blast and destroy it."

"...O-Okay..." Silver straightens up, drawing out a long sigh. How has this weakened him so much? It doesn't make sense. But one last hit — he can do this, "I'm ready."

Silver closes his eyes, finding comfort in escaping the glaring lights of the lair, and raises his hand. The edge of his mind stings, as his powers flex: Shadow is in the air, he can feel it. With a flick of Silver's wrist, Shadow flies towards his target and begins to charge up. The grey hedgehog claps a hand to his forehead, with his head throbbing.

When the Chaos Blast explodes outwards, the ground shakes. Unsteady, Silver tips over and lands on his back, staring up at the ceiling.

"MOVE!" That's Shadow's voice, and it sounds like he's yelling at Silver.

Golden eyes watch the metal limb sail through the air, before it lands and smacks him unconscious. His dreams consist of crimson and midnight.

* * *

 **Speeshulartz has drawn some AMAZING Fanart for the scene where Shadow fights Silver and I strongly urge you to check it out, because it took my breath away! More details and links can be found on my profile, but here's the link directly to the art (with spaces added)!**

Who Sent You? by Speeshulartz ( speeshularts. tumblr post/ 163155677235/ w-h-o-s-e-n-t-y-o-u-i-wanted-to-draw-a)


	3. Can't Remember to Forget You

Author's note: **Hugs and lavish thanks to** TheMidnightShadow **and** Ladywhite **for leaving lovely comments and spurring me on with this next chapter :') And thank you to those who have been favouriting and reading! ^.^**

 **Replies:**

TheMidnightShadow - **It makes me extremely happy to hear that, thank you! Haha, definitely! Yes, I'm very much looking forward to having Sonic unknowingly walk into some tensely awkward conversations, and just being like, "Whoaaa, okay, something is clearly going on here!" xD**

Ladywhite - **Aww, thank you ever so much - that really made me smile! :D I very much hope you'll enjoy this next chapter and how the story will unfold! :3**

 **Not quite such a love-struck chapter, this time, I'm afraid - (just wait 'til later on, where you won't be able to move for the fluff!) - but an interesting reunion, with some padded psychological-layers for Silver's character! Also, keep an eye out for other pairings, where you see them, because it's not quite all Shadilver ;)**

 **Please let me know what you think so far! :D**

* * *

 **3\. Can't Remember to Forget You**

* * *

Pitch black. There are brief flashes of...well, _something._ He tries to focus in on them — but they're there, and then they're gone — until his vision swims and bursts into flames. All-consuming fire, grabbing and clawing and licking at him, as it tries to suck him in, with persistent fervour. The smoke cloaks his air, mixing with screams, but he can't escape and something is biting at his limbs, pulling him down and refusing to—!

...There is a jolt. Heavy eyes resurface; pupils shrink down. He can feel a cold sweat clinging to his skin, as the juddering heartbeat finally slows. It isn't real, just a nightmare. _J_ _ust a nightmare_ , He berates himself, _Blaze wouldn't get so worked up. Don't be such a kid_.

Silver blows out a sigh, suddenly feeling uncomfortably hot, and kneads his temples. A blissful moment passes, before he grips the fabric of the couch beneath him, and starts to freak out.

He doesn't recognise the room. It's fairly plain, pretty functional — Silver blinks at the cream walls, without much decoration, though he does spy a couple of framed photographs — and it somehow sets him at ease. There's a TV set, close by, with a couple of messily-arranged gaming consoles, stacked underneath. A fireplace broods in the corner, silent, and he turns himself away from it.

He manages to get a quick glance at a worktop counter — an easy-to-clean, unbreakable marble surface— which seems to lead towards a kitchen area, on the other side of the living room, before the time traveller is confronted by a gang of spectators. He flinches, making no attempt to hide it.

"Whoa, hey, it's alright. You're safe here. We just wanna help you," A whirlwind of blue settles at his side, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder. Silver looks left and they make eye contact: a brilliant gleam of emerald, which makes him feel like he's come home, "How're you feeling?"

"U-Um..." He swallows. The sandy taste in his mouth just keeps coming back.

An amused grin spreads across the blue hedgehog's face, instantly calming him. The emerald eyes twinkle, "Tongue-tied, huh? Don't sweat it. How about a drink of water? Sound good?"

"...T-That would be great."

"No problem! Coming right up!" A gust of wind smacks Silver in the face, as the hedgehog vanishes from sight — he blinks and, by the time he opens his eyes, the blue quills have returned, with an offered glass of water, "Here you go!"

"Thank you," Silver's teeth clink against the glass. The sound seems to bounce from wall to wall.

With half of the liquid quickly downed, he must appear noticeably refreshed, because there isn't much of a pause between the next question, "So. How about we start with names? I'm Sonic — Sonic the Hedgehog!" Silver nods, pretending as if this is the first time that he's heard that name.

"My name is Silver."

Sonic grins, with his chest puffing up in proud satisfaction, "Cool name. Suits ya! As for these guys—" He jerks his thumb back at the three other figures, and they instantly straighten, "—that's Tails, Knuckles and Amy. Don't worry, they're cool. Well, everyone except Knux is, anyway."

"Ha ha, Sonic," Knuckles drawls, sourly, "You're hilarious. Really."

Silver blinks, as he notices the curious expressions of both Tails and Amy. He feels ashamed to admit that he hadn't paid the two-tailed fox much mind, before — _Two_ tails? Wow. He really hadn't been paying attention — and now wriggles under Tails' intrigued stare. It feels as if he's being dismantled, just by Tails' thoughts alone, and he quickly swallows to make sure that everything still works.

Amy has a strange, misty look clouding her eyes and Silver optimistically wonders if it's something akin to déjà vu. Maybe it's possible for him to prompt their memories? Just nudge them a little bit, in the right direction, and hopefully things will slot into place.

"You know you love it," Sonic slips Knuckles a sly grin, completely oblivious to the exchanges that are taking place, around him. Amy frowns and Silver tenses.

Knuckles is just as unheeding, "I really don't—"

"Excuse me, have we met before?"

Amy's question sparks instant vigilance, in both Sonic and Knuckles, as they stop bickering. Tails says nothing, but his drawn brows suggest that he'd wanted to ask the exact same thing.

Sonic tilts his head to one side, still crouched in front of the grey hedgehog, "You guys know each other?"

Silver flares with panic, suddenly worried about their reactions, if he tells them the truth, "No, I don't think so!" Not technically, anyway.

"Oh!" Amy shrugs, as if it's nothing, and seems okay with dropping the whole thing, "I'm sorry. I thought I recognised you. You just seem familiar, that's all!"

Tails doesn't seem quite as convinced, "I know what you mean. I felt it too."

"You sure you're not missin' something? Something you're not telling us?" Knuckles steps forward, purposely flexing his muscles, as he tries to make Silver nervous. It works. He can feel sweat on the back of his neck.

"Hold it, Knuckles!" Leaping up and landing on his feet, Sonic squares up to the red echidna, placing a warning hand on his shoulder, "He's just woken up; give him a break. Let's not grill the guy, yeah? We'll ask questions later."

He looks thoroughly displeased about the whole affair, but Knuckles reluctantly simmers down, settling for crossing his arms in an angry huff. Sonic nods his gratitude and mumbles something to Tails, inaudible to everyone else.

Brightly, Amy skips over and sits down on the other side of the couch. Silver pulls his outstretched leg in, unable to stop himself staring, and is extremely glad for her happy demeanour: he finds it reassuring. Just like before, "So, Silver! How did you end up here?"

"Well, it's a little complicated..." He's aware of the others, with their gazes intently fixed on him. Silver makes himself focus on Amy, with her trusting jade eyes and enthusiastic smile, "...but something happened with the Chaos Emeralds, when I was using Chaos Control—"

"Chaos Emeralds?" Sonic instinctively steps forward, "You can use Chaos Control?"

"Yes. Someone..." Silver can't help but smile to himself, "...taught me how to."

Knuckles lowers his arms, "Just how many emeralds do you have?"

"I had three, at that point, but I don't seem to have them, anymore. They must have dispersed."

"Three?"

"Yeah."

"That can't be right. We've got two, so does Eggman, and GUN have got one on strict lockdown. You can't have three, you just can't," The blue hedgehog pauses, silently shaping words on his lips, before his head whips round, "Tails? My maths' not wrong, right?"

Tails shakes his head, "Nope, you're right, Sonic — that'd make eight. Silver, maybe one of them was a fake? It can be difficult to tell: they'd be identical, apart from the slight difference in the frequency of energy..."

"No, they were all genuine Chaos Emeralds. It's not to do with the number of emeralds — it's their origins."

"Uh, did the maths fry my brain, or...?"

Silver chuckles, softly, at Sonic's bashful grin, "The Chaos Emeralds, that I was using, are not your Chaos Emeralds."

"How so?"

"My Chaos Emeralds are from the future. Two hundred years in the future."

It's mildly amusing, watching their expressions, as they comprehend that bombshell. Sonic straightens up, suddenly looking quite a bit taller; Tails' baby-blue eyes grow wide, a mixture of shock and excitement; Amy gasps, gently covering her mouth with her hand.

Knuckles' frown deepens and he looks doubtful, "You're from the future?"

"Yes."

"You're from two hundred years in the future? Like, hover-boards and flying cars, future?"

"Sonic, we already have hover-boards! And flying cars!" Tails shakes his head.

The blue hedgehog waves his hand in dismissal, not letting his eyes leave Silver, "Yeah, but the Babylonians built them. We didn't come up with it, so it doesn't count."

" _Monopole_ has flying cars! Megalo Station? We've driven one! The Babylonians didn't come up with _that_ —"

"Monopole, the famous city of the _future_ , remember? It counts!"

"It so doesn't—!"

"Guys, you're completely missing the point!" Amy flies to her feet, suddenly fuming, and even though she's referring to both of them, her glare is solely directed at Sonic, who ducks his head down in avoidance. Silver frowns, feeling sorry for the pink hedgehog, though he doesn't quite know why.

Exempt from the scolding, Knuckles says, unfazed, "Okay then. What's it like? The future, I mean."

"It's...cold."

"Cold?" Sonic laughs, "Great. Remind me to start collecting scarves."

"It's cold compared to what I'm used to."

None of them seem to know what to say to that (good, because he really doesn't want to explain it), so Amy tactfully moves the conversation onwards, "Do you remember anything before you were knocked out, Silver?"

"Kinda. I remember sitting on a building—" He knows exactly which building it is, because the location is practically etched onto his brain, but decides not to mention it. Silver doesn't want them knowing that he's been spying on someone, practically borderline stalking. Even if they haven't kept in touch with the person, from before, it's still embarrassing, "—and I was talking with someone, talking with..."

 _Blaze_. Oh no, no, no! Blaze!

"Silver, are you okay?" Amy reaches out, to steady him, as he scrambles up — a little too quickly, apparently, because the room starts spinning.

"I-I'm okay! But I need to get to Blaze!"

"Who's Blaze?"

"My friend! She came here, with me, and we got separated..." _Liar_. _You_ _left_ _her_. He ignores that thought, because it hurts too much, and makes his way towards the front door, "I need to find her!"

"Dude, it's okay, we'll help you look," Sonic swiftly nudges Knuckles in the ribs, silently telling him that he's coming too, and takes the echidna's groan as a 'yes'.

But Tails suddenly darts forward, spinning his tails and moving through the air, before landing between Silver and the door, "Wait—hold on! You've gotta rest, before you head out to look for her! You're still in pretty bad shape!"

"I'll be fine! I have to find her, now, before—!"

The front door is thrown open, making Tails jump, who is facing the other way. Silver's breath hitches, in anticipation, as his eyes settle on the curvy figure that steps inside. He frowns: _Who's_ _this?_

"Hey, honey, I'm home!" The woman's voice is melodic, as she searches the room for someone in particular. A glossed smile spreads across her lips, when she locates Knuckles, "Did you miss me?"

Knuckles clears his throat, looking more riled than usual, "Rouge."

Silver tenses up. Rouge. As in, _Club_ _Rouge_.

Rouge hums her amusement, shrugging off the echidna's cold welcome, with considerable grace, "I'll take that as a yes. Hello boys, and Pinkie," Her icy-blue eyes run over Silver's body, as if he's exposed. He shivers, "Who's he?"

"This is Silver," Amy offers, beaming at him, and Silver wishes that her cheeriness would rub off on him.

"Well, hello, Silver," Rouge slinks towards him, in an almost feline-manner, even though Silver observes the wings, and the ears, and is fairly sure that she's a bat, "Aren't you just absolutely adorable? Expensive, too, what with that name and those eyes."

He blushes, "U-Um—!"

"Rouge. Back off," Knuckles is suddenly extremely close at his side, almost protectively, but Silver doesn't know why. The echidna doesn't seem that fond of him, "What are you doing here?"

She looks irritated, now, and answers to Sonic and Tails, instead, "I was told to come here. To check up on the wounded, to make sure he's okay — only now I see that my journey was a waste of time. Next time, Shadow can come and check out his victims, himself, instead of sending me and pretending not to care."

"And how is Mr Sunshine?" Sonic's voice is light, and amused, and completely unaware of how Silver's heart-rate has sky-rocketed. Breathing is now extremely difficult.

Rouge smirks, "What, you didn't get the pleasure, Big Blue?"

"Nah, we did, briefly. But he just arrived, out of nowhere, with Silver tossed over his shoulder — put him down, on the couch, and told us to patch him up. Didn't say another word, apart from that. Just left. What's he doing, now, anyway?"

Silver starts sweating, profusely. _He carried me here?_

"Infiltration mission. Though, that's actually classified," With a wry smirk, Rouge leans forward and fixes her stare on Silver, "He put the mission on hold, to deal with a certain distraction."

Silver snaps out of his stupor, conscious once more, but his head is flooded with images of tanned lips and heart-wrenchingly beautiful eyes, "Wait! You know Shadow? Shadow the Hedgehog?!"

"Unless there's some other Shadow, hanging around...?" Rouge folds one of her arms underneath her chest, whilst propping up the other, with a finger tapping against her cheek. She narrows her eyes, curiously, "Yeah, I know Shadow: I work with him. Why do you want to know?"

"Did...did he say anything about me?" Even he knows how pathetically desperate that sounds.

Rouge is confused, for a moment, but mercifully doesn't question it, "Don't think so. He said you're a good fighter, which is the biggest compliment you'll ever get from him. Forgot to mention how cute you are, though."

She's joking, of course, but hearing that actually makes his heart sink, a little further. Silver curses himself and feigns disinterest, "Oh."

"So, what now?" Amy asks.

"Well, I don't know about you lot, but I know Shadow has a few questions for Silver," Rouge raises her eyebrows, meeting Silver's surprised gaze. He wonders how much she knows and how much Shadow has told her. It's all coming back to him, now, "I do, too."

"I will answer your questions. But I have to find Blaze, first," He glances at Tails, waiting for the fox's protests.

Tails doesn't look very happy about it, but shrugs, with a small sigh, "Okay. We can't force you to rest. But, please, let Sonic go with you. He can help you look for your friend and make sure that you don't pass out, or something like that. Right, Sonic?"

"You bet!" Sonic zips forward, eager and grinning, "We'll find her in no time! I can give you a tour of the place, while we look."

"That sounds good," Having a better grasp of the area would be useful, Silver figures.

The time traveller flanks Sonic's side, listening to the shift of the others. Tails says something about medical supplies, whilst Rouge and Amy move towards the couch. Knuckles remains silent, watching them leave. His amethyst stare digs deep into Silver's back.

Outside, just by the front door, Sonic stretches his limbs and breathes in the fresh air. The blue hedgehog eyes up Silver, confidently, and receives a small frown, "Let's head out. Think you can keep up?"

* * *

As it turns out, he can. But only just. Silver doesn't allow himself to underestimate the true extent of Sonic's speed — the grey hedgehog remembers Soleanna, the feeling of being slammed into metal tables and a paved floor, thanks to a blue blur — but, he has to admit, it's satisfying to see the flash of surprise, across Sonic's face, when he sees Silver's own abilities.

Psychokinesis, Silver explains to Sonic, was randomly bestowed upon him at birth. According to his research, it doesn't run in the family, so his childhood had been dedicated to trying to control his powers, which was...difficult. He doesn't tell him about the bullying, or the threats of experimentation, but simply says that psychokinesis is rare, even two hundred years in the future.

"I see," Sonic says, jogging backwards through the forest, as they race closer towards roads and buildings, and further away from trees and dirt trails, "So, how does it work then?"

Silver decides against throwing his hands up and just saying 'magic', even though it's as plausible as any other explanation — the truth is that no one knows how or why it works. It just does. Which sucks, because no one likes hearing _just 'cause_ as an explanation, and most people react badly.

"It's...not exactly easy to describe. I can focus on objects and then there's this...click. Then I can control them and, if I focus hard enough, I can move several at once. I guess there's a complicated explanation, about how it works, but no one's been able to figure it out, yet."

Sonic nods, slowing to a jog, as his path heads onto the city's pavement. Silver drops to the ground and hurries after him, dodging past a wandering human, "There's quite a lot aboutcha that's complicated, huh?"

"Unfortunately."

His eyes suddenly soften, "Silver, I know I don't know your story, but I bet things'll be okay. And I'm beyond sure that I've heard crazier stories," Sonic grins, in an attempt to cheer him up, and Silver does find himself smiling.

"Really? Like what?"

"I guess Knuckles didn't exactly have it easy. Ever heard of the Master Emerald?" Picking up on Silver's blank expression, Sonic continues, "It controls all of the Chaos Emeralds. It also contains this huge ancient being called Chaos — trust me, you would _not_ like that thing when it's angry — and the controller of the Master Emerald, who's called Tikal. She's pretty cool, though."

"Right..."

"What I'm tryna say is that Knux is the Guardian of this thing. He grew up on his lonesome, floating island — Angel Island — and knew nothing except the Master Emerald. He just sat up there, for years and years, guarding it and talking to absolutely no one. I guess training kept him sane, but there was so much that he didn't experience. Meeting me and Tails opened up a whole new world for him."

No wonder Knuckles has trouble trusting Silver. Spending years on a solitary patch of land would make it difficult to form any kind of connection to anyone — it's a wonder that Knuckles is as 'friendly' as he is. Silver lets himself indulge in a little self-pity, now and again (and again and again, because it's a habit now), but he's always aware of how lucky he is to have Blaze. _Blaze...where are you?_

"I had no idea that he'd been through that..." Silver responds, honestly, as he joins Sonic's side, striding onwards, "It must be a terrible burden to carry."

"Yeah. It's gotta suck. I mean, he's getting better at relaxing, when he's with us, but I kinda wish he didn't have to spend so much time up there. Uhh...heh, don't tell him I said that! He'd never let me live it down."

Silver suspects that Knuckles would actually be incredibly flattered to hear that, despite the rough bravado, "I won't."

"You still don't look convinced, though. About your past not being as strange as it seems," Sonic clarifies, when he sees the confused knit of Silver's eyebrows, "Okay. So you didn't spend your whole childhood on a floating island. That narrows it down, a bit."

"I'm fairly sure that you'll never, ever guess it." _Because it's sort of been erased from your memory._

"Fair enough. But I bet it doesn't even compare to Shadow's crazy back-story."

His knees clench up and the psychokinetic hedgehog freezes in the street. The casino glows in his peripheral vision, quiet and dry in the afternoon. Sonic notices that he's alone and promptly stops, turning his head back, curiously waiting.

"Shadow?"

"Yeah. Black and red hedgehog? Serious attitude problem? He's the one who brought you to Tails' place."

As if he needs reminding, "What about him?"

"You don't know?"

"No. Why would I?"

Sonic rubs the back of his neck, somewhat uncomfortably, "Well, you seemed to recognise him, when Rouge said his name, back at Tails'? I figured that you must know something about him. If not, then how come you were following him?"

Silver winces, "He told you?"

"He...mentioned it. Briefly."

"It's not..." Not anything weird? Of course it is! This whole situation is _insane_! Or maybe it's just Silver who's going mad? That would...well, that would make a lot of sense. Is he going mad? Hopefully, because that would be far easier to explain, "I wasn't sent by Doctor Eggman and I'm not carrying out any kind of nefarious scheme." Even though that's exactly what it looks like.

Sonic looks amused and huffs out a laugh, "Would you really tell me if you were working for Egghead, though?" He tilts his head, pitifully, at Silver's guilty silence, "Look, Silver, I know you're not planning anything."

"Why? You're right. My actions are certainly suspicious and I can't prove that I mean you no harm."

"I know, but...well, call me crazy, but I've just got a feeling that your heart's in the right place. I mean, if not, then why bother listening to me talk about Knuckles? You cared, I could tell, and you talk about Shadow in the same way. You can't fake that..." The blue hedgehog shrugs, as he trails off, with a knowing look. Entranced, Silver watches him and wonders how he could've caught on so quickly. Then it hits him that Sonic would not be saying these things, if he knew the truth, and Silver reminds himself that he simply _cannot_ tell the truth, as much as he hates lying, "But, if you do turn out to be an evil villain who's trying to destroy the universe, you can say 'I told you so'."

"Thanks," Silver wishes that he could say something more poetic, but hopes that his grateful smile is enough, because Sonic really doesn't know how important those words are, to him, "I promise that won't happen, though."

"I believe you." _I don't deserve your trust_ , "So, why're you after him? What's so important about Shadow? Apart from the obvious."

"O-Obvious?" Did he know? Silver knows that subtlety is completely out of his reach, but he'd hoped that Sonic might've mistaken complete adoration for strange fascination. So much for that; they probably all knew! "What do you mean?"

"You really don't know?"

"I-I don't think so..."

Their journey had resumed, a short while ago, but Sonic's steps are now slowing, as if his disbelief is tampering with his speed, "Then how do you even know about Shadow?"

"It's—"

"Complicated?"

"I'm sorry, Sonic."

"You're not giving me much to go on, here. And Shadow ain't gonna settle for anything less than a full-blown explanation, you know that, right?"

Silver sighs, "I know. And I promised you answers, too. I will explain, I swear; but I have to find Blaze, before I do anything else."

"You guys are pretty close then?" Sonic steps into a faster pace, when he's satisfied that Silver can keep up. He can, but anything faster, and he'll need to tap into his powers, again. He really doesn't want to do that, though, because Tails is right: he's still in a pretty bad way, "Is she your, uh...?"

"Oh, _no_. No, it's not like that. We're just friends," Silver isn't surprised when Sonic asks, however. He knows that he's found a kindred spirit in Blaze; someone he'll trust with absolutely anything, including his life. Vice versa, he hopes. He's always slightly in awe of her, even now, after however many years it's been. They haven't ever really discussed the subject of romantic partners (it had been the last thing on their minds, what with fighting Iblis and then dealing with Mephiles), but Silver has never felt an undercurrent of attraction, in that way. Blaze is his best friend; he just doesn't see her like that, though he knows that whoever she does fall for is extremely lucky. Besides, if there ever were any doubts, then Silver had banished them, when he'd met Shadow, because he'd instantly known that _that_ was attraction.

"I gotcha," Sonic smiles, "Is she from the future too?"

"Yes. She came with me, in Chaos Control."

"Can Blaze use Chaos Control?"

"No. I mean, she's never tried, but I'd be surprised if she could," Silver pauses, wondering if Blaze will be angry with him, for revealing information about her. He doesn't think she'll mind too much and he needs to offer something to Sonic, instead of fobbing him off with excuses and awkward pauses. He needs Sonic to trust him, but he also _wants_ Sonic to trust him, "I'm from the future, but I still belong to the same dimension as you — Blaze doesn't; she comes from a different dimension. Where she's from, they don't have Chaos Emeralds: they have Sol Emeralds. I think they're pretty similar, from what she's told me, but they use a different type of power. She's their Guardian."

"Wow. My head. Ouch," Sonic clutches at his forehead and offers a lopsided grin. He winks, too, and Silver chuckles.

"It took me a while to understand it."

"Guardian of the Sol Emeralds, huh? Hey, maybe she'd get along with Knuckles!"

Silver ponders this thought. He supposes that Blaze and Knuckles are quite similar — they both have an incredibly stubborn, closed-off demeanour, but are loyal to a fault, and relax, considerably, once they've gotten to know someone — but he's concerned that they might end up butting heads, because of it. Blaze is much more amenable to someone who quietly composes themselves before putting their thoughts forward. From what he's gathered, Knuckles is not like that.

But, he has to admit, he would never have seen himself getting along with Shadow. Prior to their meeting, he would have been discouraged from engaging with someone who says less than two sentences at a time. He would have found the intense, analytical glare hard to stomach and would have avoided talking to him altogether (Silver knows that he's a coward, despite what Blaze says, but — like a coward — he doesn't want to face that). But it isn't like that. He finds the stare unbelievably and attractively intriguing; the silence comes across as intelligent and it gives power to the words that he does say. Opposites attract, apparently, and perhaps Silver's finding some truth, in that.

"Maybe they would."

"I bet they'll be swapping stories in no time," At Silver's bemused look, Sonic admits, "Okay, maybe they'll need some pushing. A lot of pushing."

"I think they'll need more than a lot."

"Whelp, we've got time!...Hey, what's goin' on up there?"

Silver's gaze follows the incline of the street, where Sonic is gesturing, and lands on two figures, facing each other. He squints at them, tingling with a sense of familiarity, and then chokes on nothing, when the shorter one throws their hands out, flames dancing on their palms.

"BLAZE! NO!" He yells, flying like a bullet towards the lavender feline. She charges the fire up, ready to attack, but is knocked to the ground, when Silver tackles her around the waist. They land in a heap together, groaning against tarmac.

"Silver, what in Iblis' name are you—?!"

" _You_."

Silver freezes.


	4. Fated Lovers Are Always Drawn Together

Author's Note: **Endless thanks and virtual hearts to** KapphyKat14 **,** Ladywhite **,** Kawaii17 **,** Roasted Toast **and** cheru **!** **Your amazing messages helped, without a doubt, to motivate and inspire me, and make me smile for a long, long time! :'D And my sincere thanks, also, to my favouriters and readers! *heart***

 **Replies:**

KapphyKat14 - **Thank you, I am extremely glad to hear that! :3**

Ladywhite - **Hey there! :D Not at all, thank you for reviewing! And it makes me so happy to hear that, you have no idea! Thank you ever so much! :'3 Ooh, yes, I am definitely keen to encourage and develop the friendship between Sonic and Silver!**

Kawaii17 - **N'aww, thank you so much! I really hope you enjoy it! ^w^**

Roasted Toast - **Cliffhangers are how I let out my inner sadist x'D Your comment was absolutely heart-warming and I can't thank you enough *hugs* It's awesome to hear that you're back on this website! Aww, that's so sweet! Omg, yes, I am at the bottom of the Shadilver abyss - I don't even know how I got there! xD You don't know how glad I am to hear that, because Silver's character was something that I was very anxious about getting right - aside from him *cough* kindaforgettingaboutBlaze. He has got it very bad for Shadow, and it's very distracting, to be fair to him! xD Oh, no, no, it would not drag out! Please, carry on! ;D Thank you so much!**

cheru - ***flies off into the sky from happiness* Thank you so much! I am ecstatic to hear that; words honestly cannot express it! Aww! Thank you! Haha, ahh, cliffhangers are my addiction, I'm afraid xD**

 **Disclaimer: Unsurprisingly, I still don't own anything! Also, whilst I do own tarot cards, my knowledge isn't amazing and I went with a very simplistic reading, for this chapter (definitely not the 10-card-step version). If it's wildly incorrect, please let me know! :D**

 **Also, feel free to leave a review, as it'll make my day! :3**

* * *

 **4\. Fated Lovers Are Always Drawn Together**

* * *

Ignoring the ticklish shivers that are dancing down his spine, Silver rolls over, onto his back, and breathes. The floor is cold, but the sunlight is warm, and he's only just noticed that the pretty sky is blue and cloudless. He presumes that he was knocked out for a couple of hours, so the day should be drawing out into late afternoon: then why isn't the mid-Autumn sky growing dark? Silver frowns, thinking that perhaps the seasons don't work in the same way, as they do in the future, and is suddenly distracted by a painful symphony in his ribs, from where he landed on Blaze's elbow.

They'd naturally disentangled their limbs, rather promptly, but he can sense her close presence at his side. Blaze's back arches as she sits up, with quick, winded breaths, before she turns to catch his gaze. Silver swallows his relieved smile and tries to silently say sorry, but wavers under Blaze's accusatory stare.

"Silver!" The soles of Sonic's sneakers pad against the pavement. Silver stretches up and leans on bent elbows, watching the blue hedgehog's eyes flicker from person to person. It's almost too fast to see, "And, I'm guessin', Blaze? Nice to finally meetcha."

Sonic lets his fist curl against his hip, casually, but surely the awkward atmosphere can't have passed him by? Blaze stiltedly nods, simmering with discomfort, before abruptly standing in one graceful movement — her heels scrape across the hardened cement. Brushing imaginary dust from her shoulders, she raises her head — Silver can see the royalty in her — and shoots a dirty look at her opponent from moments ago.

Shadow scowls, in return.

"Long time no see, eh, Shadow?" Sonic offers that playful, lop-sided grin of his, completely unfazed by Shadow's irritated huff. Silver watches and drinks in their stark differences. The blue hedgehog's posture is soft, round and relaxed; the black hedgehog is made up of strong, hard, defensive lines. It's bewildering, when they look so startlingly alike, "Wanna explain what's going on here?"

"She is confused and seems to think that I abducted hr friend," Shadow watches Blaze bristle, with a resigned victory in his narrowed eyes. Then he's staring at Silver, smoking and burning and _hot_ , as he softly growls, "It is clear that I have done no such thing."

The tingling rush returns. Silver swallows down nothing, thinks back to when he woke up on Sonic's couch, reaches for words, _any_ _words_. Something seems to deepen within Shadow, but it's misty and unrecognizable, and suddenly it's gone. His hover-skates are poised to take off, but Blaze steps forward. Her heels let out a confrontational _clack_ , "I'm not finished, with you, yet."

"I see," Shadow briefly assesses her, with a look tossed across his shoulder, but then turns and faces the fire-princess. Blaze closes her hands into fists.

"Guys. C'mon. This is stupid. Whatever this is—" Sonic zips between them, holding up outstretched hands. They ignore the emerald warning glares. Silver's stomach knots itself up, as he thinks about Sonic standing in the middle, sacrificing himself, to stop them from tearing each other to pieces. It should be him, standing there, not Sonic, "—it doesn't need to end in blows. Okay?"

"Blaze..." She finally looks at him. Silver is acutely aware of himself, with his palm pressing against his abdomen, which is wracked with sobbing pain, and somehow he's on his feet. Blaze softens, "Please."

The tension drops out of her muscles, but she hardens as she throws a gesture at Silver's body, "Did he do this to you?"

 _Do wha—?_ But now there's fabric brushing against his left ear, and his right shoulder, and he glances down at bandages that are pinned there, and reaches up to touch. How had he not noticed the evidence of Tails and his medical-kit earlier? "...No, he didn't. It was one of Doctor Eggman's robots. Shadow actually took me to Sonic's house, where they tended to me. Blaze, it wasn't him."

She bows her head. Silver has known her long enough to recognize the way in which dejection rests on her shoulders. Her confession, from earlier, faintly echoes in his mind: _I don't understand you, Silver_ , "Robots don't leave bruises in the shape of hand-prints."

Sonic's attention flitters to Silver's upper, uninjured shoulder and the time traveller tracks the movement downwards. Blaze has a keen eye: there is a faintly-mottled bruise, made up of four fingers — which stretch over towards his back — and a thumb, indented into his collarbone. Silver represses the urge to fit his own hand against it.

When he looks up, he finds Shadow staring and caught in a tangle of their gazes. Underneath his skin, heat rises and Silver thinks that he'll be the first to look away — but, to his shock, Shadow's jaw clenches up and he's the one who lowers his stare to the floor. He almost looks shamed. Silver is transfixed.

"Shadow wouldn't set out to hurt Silver. Things probably just got outta hand, that's all," Sonic is trying to be the voice of reason, but even he knows that it's not working. There's a smudge of doubt in his tone, Silver realizes, because he can't quite truthfully vouch that Shadow wouldn't do something like that. Because maybe Shadow isn't quite the all-knowing (if a little misguided) hero that Silver believed him to be. Because there have been several moments where Silver has been forced to admit that _I don't really even know you_.

Sonic's persuasion is meant for Blaze — she's the one who needs convincing — but Shadow snaps into a blazing fury, out of nowhere, "He was not a defenceless victim — he was the one who chose to spy, follow and engage in battle with me. You're blinded, Sonic, by your insufferable desire to make friends, but he is not to be trusted! He is clearly hiding his true intent behind that false innocence. Watch him closely: I give it five minutes before he betrays you!"

Stones thump down into the empty pit of Silver's stomach — _that's what he thinks of me?_ — but he pleas, anyway, "Shadow, that's not—!"

"Don't bother. I don't care whether Sonic believes you or not, but I do not trust you. If you ever try to spy on me again, I will not hold back and you should be mindful of that. But eventually your true self will be revealed; it's only a matter of—"

"You're the only reason why I'm here!"

Bewilderment manages to kill the words on Shadow's tongue. His brow is furrowed, his lips parted with slowing time, and he straightens as if Silver's cry had knocked him back. Sonic is intrigued, too, and Blaze stares as though she's never even seen Silver before, like she doesn't even know him.

"Why?" Sonic ventures, leaning forward with a curious stare, "Is Shadow in danger, or something? Is that what happens in the future?"

Silver's eyes are dragged down by the weight of Blaze's gaze. Expecting her to ask questions, he tries not to look at her, but she's just staying silent, and somehow that's even worse, "...The future is..." He looks up. Her eyes are round and full, like beautiful stars, as she waits, "...troubled."

"Future? What are you talking about?" Shadow looks to Sonic for information, but the anger has somewhat been torn out of his voice.

"Silver and Blaze are from two hundred years in the future. They came here using Chaos Control and, if they're here to help you, I've a pretty good mind to trust them, Shads," The nickname slices through the air like a cold knife. Shadow glowers, but Sonic roars back, with unyielding defiance. Their lungs freeze with bated breath, "...You should too."

"I don't have to do anything," But Shadow's voice lacks the temper that it had before. He locks eyes with Silver, cold, but almost pitying, "You should go back home. I don't need protection. You're wasting your time."

Blaze huffs a breath, as he skates off, quickly growing into a dot on the horizon, "Is he always so ungrateful?"

"Don't take it personally," Sonic shields his eyes from the sun, with one hand, whilst thinning his lips at Shadow's abruptness, "Shadow's got trust-issues, after being betrayed one too many times. He'll come 'round."

Somehow, Silver doubts it.

* * *

Three days pass by in a blur.

When Sonic leads Silver and Blaze back to the Workshop — because the Blue Blur takes charge and there's nowhere else to go — they find Tails alone, relieved and insisting that they stay there, with them, while they recover. Apparently, he'd started scanning for Chaos Emeralds, as soon as Silver and Sonic left, and his radar has already picked up one: if they grab that one and locate the final one, then that should be enough to get Silver and Blaze home, right? Blaze nods, but her suspicion grows at their overarching kindness and Silver says that they couldn't possibly accept something so generous. Neither Sonic nor Tails seem convinced, however, because the blue hedgehog has already found spare bedding and the twin-tailed fox sets about making dinner for the four of them.

Silver wakes up the next morning and realises that he has never slept so well. He is comforted by the knowledge that Blaze is merely on the other side of the wall — the nightmares don't go away, but they never have, so why should they suddenly vanish now? — and listens to the sound of chirping birds and rustling leaves. He supposes that he'd slept okay in the new future, with those stiff sheets and blaring traffic and the apartment that never really felt like home, but it's not the same. And Crisis City...back then, well, you slept when you could and didn't complain about it.

He knows that Blaze isn't as enamoured with this as he is, but Silver smiles when he notices her small hints of contentment. There's the way she finds Tails endearing and assists him in designing an attachment for the Tornado, or when she lets a small huff of laughter slip out at one of Sonic's jokes. She'd say it was politeness, but Silver knows her fondness for what it really is.

His heart twinges, because Shadow thinks of him with anything but fondness.

They haven't seen each other, haven't spoken; their spat has shaken his confidence. What used to be a mission — return to the past, reunite with the people from Soleanna, find out if there are any residual feelings, _finally get over this plaguing desire_ — has now turned into a bittersweet vacation. Silver finally feels peaceful, spending time here without any immediate concerns and simply enjoying life, but it's coated with a layer of failure.

How has it gone so wrong?

Perhaps Silver tries too hard. It's all hideously unnatural — Silver never should have met Shadow, not really, but it was the only gift that Mephiles ever gave him — and he knows that he shouldn't have come back, but _why?_ Why can't he take something for himself, for once, even if he had to bend time to do it? " _Because it's not our place_ ," Blaze would say, if he asks her, but why is it _never_ their place? What did the universe ever do for him?

He tries not to think about it, for too long, because each time it tears him apart: the guilt and the loneliness.

If fate is so hell bent on being his master, then let it take control, Silver decides. _Just give me some kind of sign._

Surprisingly, and unbeknownst to the blue hedgehog, Sonic actually succeeds in taking Silver's mind off the whole issue. He says that Doctor Eggman — "Silver, c'mon, it's Egghead. I'm tryna make it stick. Soon, Eggman himself will be saying it! Come to think of it, did you know that I was the first one to use the name 'Eggman'...?" — has grown quiet and there's not much else to do. Silver tries to casually hint that they could head out somewhere, (nowhere in particular, but they might just happen to stroll near Club Rouge...), but the excited gleam in Sonic's eyes suggests that he has something else in mind.

"Movies!" Sonic grins, as he stumbles towards the table and places the stack of DVD cases down. Silver blinks, from his reclined position on the sofa, "Please tell me that the future still has these, at least?"

Silver replies that yes, they do have movies, and Sonic practically lights up. He had been heartbroken to hear that the legacy of his favourite band — Smash 40? Something like that — hadn't survived for two hundred years. In that moment, he'd vowed to educate Silver in the "art of all things awesome".

"Alright! So, I've picked out the classics. You cool with starting with the Night of the Werehog?"

It turns out that Night of the Werehog is a horror movie, but Silver is pleasantly surprised to find himself enjoying it. Sonic calls it a cult-classic and says that the lack of dialogue is part of its charm; he's glued to the screen, with a contently-spread grin. Silver is briefly confused — isn't Sonic energetic and always on the move? — but Tails enters and fondly shakes his head, snickering as he says that Sonic has weird bursts of patience for certain things.

But, as they burn though Sonic's movie list, it is Blaze that surprises Silver most of all: she spends the majority of her time catching up on popular past-times, too.

She passes up on Sonic's offering of chilli dogs and Comedy Chimp — chilli dogs are key, apparently, when it comes to TV viewing. Silver decides not to admit that he finds them too spicy for comfort — but when Tails finds her staring, longingly, at the bookshelf in his Workshop, he lends her several hardbacks. The hundreds of pages of The Secret Rings are read in a couple of days, and she's currently curled up in her room, racing through The Black Knight. Tails kindly says that Silver can borrow them, whenever he likes, but he declines, because he's never been able to fully envelop himself in a fictional world.

That being said, Silver is idly scanning the back of some dog-eared dystopian novel, when Sonic bursts though the front door.

It's not a strange sight — the blue hedgehog heads out for a run, at least twice a day, and always returns with similar, brash enthusiasm — but there is thin glimmer of sweat on Sonic's skin, and he looks uncomfortably hot.

He tries to avoid Silver's concerned stare, by leaping over the back of the couch and settling into the cushions. Kicking his feet up onto the coffee table, Sonic scrambles about for the TV remote, "C'mon then, what're we watching? Don't tell me you were just sitting here, waiting for me to return!"

Silver frowns, unconvinced. He watches with nervous fascination, as Sonic burns brighter, the flush of his cheeks growing. He's never seen him act like this before.

Sonic looks as though he's about to call Silver out, about the staring, but Tails traipses into the room, takes one look, and sighs, "Amy?"

Sonic grumbles to himself.

"Amy?" Silver repeats.

"Yeah, Amy Rose. She was here when you woke up. Pink, red dress, terrifying hammer," Sonic involuntarily shudders and elicits a snort from Tails, "She also has a massive crush on me."

"Oh."

"What happened this time?" Hovering at the end of the couch, Tails waits for a response, with an amused glimmer in his baby-blue eyes. The briefest hint of a grin lingers at the corners of his mouth.

"Same old, same old. She tackled me to the ground, tried to kiss me, got all angry when I managed to get her off. She said something about joining her and Cream, this afternoon, at her place — but I said I was helping you out, Tails, so don't go blowing my cover-story, okay?" He leans towards the kitsune, pleadingly, until Tails agrees. Recognition sparks up, when Sonic glances at Silver, "Oh yeah, shoot, she told me to bring you along, too, Silv."

"Amy wanted me there?" His chest swells with satisfaction at those signs of friendship: Amy's invitation and his nickname of Silv.

"Yeah, but since I'm not going, I doubt she'll mind, because I can't exactly bring you, can I? So it's cool."

Silver lowers his head, but doesn't say that he thinks Amy will mind, quite a lot, actually. He remembers the way in which she had gushed to him, about Sonic, in Dusty Desert. She's undoubtedly in love with the blue hedgehog.

But it appears that Sonic doesn't feel the same way. His heart aches, as he thinks about himself in the same situation, in his _current_ situation, and Silver knows that he has to go, especially after everything that she did for him.

"Sonic, what's the harm in going over there?" Tails sounds mildly exasperated.

"Uhh, I'd like to come away _without_ being forced into a marriage, thanks! Besides, it's just one afternoon-tea. I'm sure she'll get over it."

"No, she won't. I know you haven't been in love, but think about how she'll feel. She adores you—"

"Since when did you become the expert on luuurve, eh, buddy? Something you wanna tell me?"

"You're just avoiding dealing with it," Tails turns to Silver, "Please, he's the one being thick-headed here, right?"

"Now you're avoiding it! Ha!"

The two-tailed fox rolls his eyes and huffs that Sonic _acts more like he's six than sixteen, I'm not in love, Sonic!_ Silver straightens and clears his throat, suddenly growing nervous in the silence, "Well, if I go and visit her, then I can say that you really are busy helping Tails. It might smooth things over."

"Sonic, no, you can't just bail out of it, like that! You need to admit—!"

"Watch me!" Victoriously, Sonic grins and claps his hands on Silver's shoulders, "Silv, you truly are an awesome protector! Shadow's so missing out. I won't forget this."

Somewhat dazed and entangled by his lie — 'protector', right, he's probably going to have to stick with that story, now — Silver accepts the cupcakes that Tails insists he takes to Amy, because she loves red velvet, and sets off, refusing to let Shadow affect him, more than he already has.

* * *

The walk to Amy's house is astoundingly beautiful. He knows that it's blue-sky-thinking, that anything would look pleasant compared to the flaming ruins of Crisis City, but it's true.

As Silver saunters through plush, green grasslands, where there are bushes with berries, citrus in colour, clumped together, ripe, juicy, and fallen leaves that are the perfect colour for the season — not just soft brown, but with reddening edges — he wonders how people can take all of this for granted.

It's hot again today, he thinks, as he takes the right path on the forked road, which Sonic had told him to follow, before he headed out. Silver doesn't know what's been happening with the weather, lately, but both Sonic and Tails have mentioned it as being strange, so he knows it's not normal. Scarlet Garcia, on the News channel, had reported it as symptoms of climate change, but Silver's not convinced. He wonders if Blaze has a theory.

His boots slow, digging into the earthy road, and stop. Silver blinks up at the pastel-pink house, with its tiled roof, smooth walls and invitingly-bold red door. The curtains are pulled back, in the windows, and he thinks he spies movement inside. The small, pitched wooden sign that sits outside reads _Amy Rose_.

Before he know what he's doing, Silver is standing in front of the door, rapping his knuckles against the surface. He blinks, when it opens, and pastes on a nervous smile.

"Silver! Hi! It's so nice to see you!" Amy beams, honestly delighted. But her high spirits waver, when she notices that he is alone, "Sonic isn't with you?"

He drops his head, "Tails really needed his help with something. I'm sorry," Simply delivering the news weighs down his heart. He decides that it's just because he feels bad for Amy and not for any other reason.

"Oh, right..."

He can't stare at that downhearted expression, without doing something, so Silver offers the cupcake box to her and brightly says, "These are for you. From Sonic. Well, Tails, Blaze and I, also, but he wanted you to have them," _I should have backed Tails up, over this. Sonic should be here. She doesn't deserve this._

"Really?" The grey hedgehog knows that he's done the right thing, when he sees that barely-contained smile shining from her jade eyes. To his surprise, she leaps forward and throws her arms around his neck, "Thank you, Silver!"

She takes the box from his grasp and pulls him inside, gleefully dumping a hoard of questions on him, so he can only just keep up: " _How have you been?_ " " _I'm okay—_ " " _I imagine you're still healing, though Tails—_ " " _—It's getting better—_ " " _—told me that you've been doing pretty well, spending time at the W_ _orkshop. Is your friend okay?_ " " _Blaze is doing well, too_." " _I'm glad to hear that — it would be awful if something happened to either of you!_ "

Honestly though, he doesn't mind. Amy's bubbly chatter makes him feel like it's normal for him to be here. Like he's no different. She was the same, back in Soleanna, and he's overwhelmingly relieved to see that she hasn't changed. He needs to hold onto this acceptance, rather than dwelling on Shadow's rejection.

"Head on into the living room. Cream's in there. I'll just grab some plates for these!" Amy raises the cupcakes, as explanation, and dashes off down the hallway. Silver swallows. _Cream?_

As soon as he enters, and she hears the fall of his steps, a young rabbit skips over to him, staring with innocent, large eyes. They're the colour of melted chocolate and her voice comes out just as sweet, "Hi, Mister Silver! Amy told me a lot about you! I hope you're feeling okay now, after being hit on the head! Mister Sonic will break Eggman's robot, for doing that to you, don't you worry!"

He finds himself smiling, "Thanks. You're Cream, right? You don't have to call me 'Mister', you know? Silver is just fine."

"Okay...Mister Silver," She giggles, as warmth runs through her features. Silver grins back at her, marveling at the pure, unhampered optimism. He'd certainly never had it. Well, he had — in the _new_ future, but each day that's feeling more and more like an illusion — but not in Crisis City. Then again, no one had it: it was such a rare thing.

Something is pulling at his boot. Silver looks down, sharply, before his golden eyes widen. There's a blue...creature, sitting on his foot, chirping up at him. It similarly doesn't have a care in the world, "Uh...?"

"Oh, Cheese!" Cream scoops the thing up, cradling it in her arms. She attempts to adopt a scolding tone, but she's failing because that voice is kind of adorable, "I'm sorry! He gets excited around new people."

"T-That's okay. Sorry, Cream, but what...is it?"

The rabbit's lips part, as she peers up, shocked, "Cheese? Why, he's a Chao!"

"A...Chao?"

"Yes, a Chao! You must have seen one before, Mister Silver, you must have! They're all over Mobius!"

"I guess there aren't any, in the future..." He pats down his quills, on the back of his head. There's something eerie about it — not Cheese in particular, but Chao in general — that he can't quite explain, but he's fairly certain that he's never come across one. Another thing to ask Blaze about.

Cream's ears droop, "That's awful..."

"What is?" Amy asks, smoothly moving into the room, with crockery balancing on a tray. She sets it down, on the table, before peering between them, delicately frowning.

"Mister Silver has never seen a Chao before, because there aren't any in the future," Cream explains, cuddling Cheese closer to her chest. He doesn't appear too bothered by what they're saying — Silver guesses that Chao don't speak the same language — but he's nuzzling back at her, offering comfort.

"Really? That is sad! I guess things have changed a lot, from our time to yours, huh, Silver?"

"More than you know," _Maybe even more than I know_ , the time traveller thinks, as he accepts the outstretched cupcake from Amy. As she hands one to Cream, who settles on the carpet so that Cheese can roll around next to her, Amy sinks into the couch (which is pink, of course, like most of the room) and takes a bite of her own. She happily smiles to herself.

Silver perches in the armchair. Three cups of rose tea and two cakes later, the light-hearted conversation somehow moves onto a different topic, one that Silver hasn't been aware of and isn't entirely at ease with.

"I've seen the way he looks at you, Cream: it's so cute! He totally likes you!" Amy cups her cheeks, squealing when she catches sight of the rabbit's blush, "I knew you did too!"

"I'm not sure, Amy. Tails hasn't said anything about that..." She bashfully stares into her lap.

"Of course he hasn't! Just take a look at my Sonic. Boys are far too shy to admit their true feelings. Girls need to meet them halfway, that's all! Isn't that right, Silver?" Amy's eyes suddenly turn onto him, as he's watching his tea swirl in his cup, feeling awkward.

"I...don't really know."

"You don't think so?"

"Well, it's just that I don't really know Tails well enough to—"

"Oh, trust me, Tails is totally smitten with Cream! Don't look so embarrassed, Creamy, it's adorable! Young love is so sweet! Is there anyone that's captured your heart, Silver?"

He promptly chokes on his tea.

"Ooh, I think that's a yes!"

"T-There's no one like that."

Amy hums, wickedly grinning at him, not believing a word, "It's Blaze, isn't it? It makes sense — you guys seem incredibly close and you dashed off to make sure that she was okay, as soon as you woke up! And I heard how you protected her from Shadow!"

Actually, it had been the other way around, though he knows that neither Blaze nor Shadow need any kind of protection. But he's not in a rush to correct Amy, because if he does then there will certainly be an interrogation, and he's not ready to reveal his secret to anyone, not yet. Especially considering how the lands lies: he doesn't need another reason for Shadow to hate him.

The girls take his pondering silence as clarification, jubilantly giggling to each other, amidst further squealing. Silver blushes, with a sheepish smile, and sends off a silent apology to Blaze, before asking, "How did you meet Sonic, Amy?"

She flushes a pretty pink, "Oh, gosh, it seems so long ago now. Back then, I used to be really into tarot readings — you know, the cards and telling someone's fortune? — so I did a reading, one day, and it said that I was destined to meet Sonic, at a place called Little Planet. I was so excited: I'd heard about him, on the TV, and in the newspapers. He wasn't quite as famous, back then, but the fame was definitely starting to pick up. Well, just like the cards said, he was there and as soon as I saw him...I knew."

"Oh, that's such a sweet story — it's almost as if meeting Mister Sonic was your destiny, right, Amy?"

"Exactly! Nothing can keep lovers apart, Cream!"

"What exactly are tarot readings?" Silver hasn't heard of them. Mystical cards that can reveal the future? That would have been nice to know, before the whole Mephiles thing.

"Well, it depends on if you believe in that kind of stuff. Tails refuses to — he says he can only trust science — though he's pretty lax when it comes to the Chaos Emeralds. Anyway, if you do believe in it, then tarot cards allow spirits to communicate with you, to let you know what'll happen in the future!" She tips her head sideways and smiles, sympathetically, "It's probably easier to understand if you're actually watching it."

Cream suddenly bounces upright and leans in, towards the pink hedgehog, sparkling with excitement, "Why don't you do a reading for me and Mister Silver!"

"Hmm, I mean, I haven't done one in a while, but I think I remember how to do a short reading..." Amy springs up, onto her feet, and disappears into another room, calling out, as there's a small thud, "They're here, somewhere, I know it!"

She returns surprisingly quickly, shaking a wooden box in triumph. It rattles. Silver peers at the exotic carvings on the sides, not really recognising any of them, but finding them enchanting, all the same. As her eyes flicker between Silver and Cream, Amy opens the lid and folds it back, removing the pile of cards that lies inside.

"So, who wants to go first?" She absent-mindedly shuffles the cards, as she waits for someone to volunteer. Cream wriggles, enthusiastically, but politely waits, in case Silver decides that he wants to try. He's not sure, at the moment, "How about Cream? That way, Silver can watch one being done, and then he'll know what's happening, when I do his."

"Okay," Silver agrees, carefully nodding his head, as Amy clears the table and Cream kneels in front of it.

He wonders if Amy's going to suddenly raise her hands to the skies, envoke the power of some supernatural spirit and gain creepy, pupil-less eyes — like he's seen in Sonic's horror movies — but there's nothing like that. Calmly, but deliberately, she drops the cards onto the table, swipes them back up, shuffles them once more and then spreads the deck out, asking Cream to choose one.

As the rabbit frowns and deliberates on which one to pick, Amy explains to him, "The first card is called the archetype. It basically symbolises the person: so, in this case, Cream. It decides how the next few cards relate to her."

There are a few beats of tense silence, until Cream hums her satisfaction and slowly draws a card out, from the middle of the deck.

She offers the card to Amy, face down, who plucks it from Cream's fingers and sets it on the table's surface. Silver stares, unsure. The card shows a human woman, pouring a jug of water, with stars floating around her head. _The Star_ is written underneath.

"Ooh," Amy says, brightly. A smile curls at her lips, "That means you've got hope, or you have bright prospects. Are you feeling hopeful about something, Creamy?"

Cream giggles, whilst watching the cards slot back together, as they're shuffled again. There's an air of certainty, when she picks the next card, as if she's got a good feeling about this one.

Amy turns it over and places it down. A slightly undiscerning man is prancing about, in tight, brightly coloured clothing; the printed text reads _The Fool_. Apparently, that means Cream's quite innocent, at the moment, and at the beginning of something. Amy tells her that she should hold onto that, but Silver's doubtful. _You're still so naive_.

... _but I...I've always liked that about you._

When Silver looks back down, Amy's explaining the next card: _The Sun_ , glowing, "—a lot of happiness coming your way! Ready for the final one, Cream? This is possibly the most important, Silver, because this is the spirit's guidance for the future."

This time, Cream reveals the card. _Strength_ , "What does that mean?" She blinks.

Amy muses down at it, "I'd say that you're gonna need to stay strong, for something, in the future. But that doesn't mean that something bad is going to happen — just that you need to stick at it!" The little rabbit nods, with a content look of determination. Amy turns to Silver, "How about it, then? Wanna see what your future holds?"

"Alright then, if you're okay with that...?"

"Of course! Sit, sit!"

He swaps with Cream, ominously short against the table and Amy. She repeats the initial process and lets him choose his archetype. Silver brushes his hand over the deck, before feeling a calling towards a particular one. He picks it.

"W-What does it mean when it's upside down?"

"It's okay, it just has a different meaning," Amy bites her lip, tilting her head to read, " _Judgement_ , upside-down, means that you doubt yourself, quite a lot. "

"I see," Well. The cards certainly aren't lying.

The pink hedgehog holds the remaining cards out to him, "Let's move onto the next one," He's grateful; she can tell that he doesn't want to talk about it. _Let's hope the next one isn't quite so honest_ , he thinks, as he selects the next card. From what he remembers, this one will determine his current state.

" _The Wheel of Fortune_! Silver, this is a good one. You're going to have a lot of good luck, as you follow your destiny!"

That does sound much better.

"Do you think it was your destiny to meet us, here, Mister Silver?" Cream asks, looking on at the table in interest.

Silver smiles, "Maybe. I really hope so."

When Amy places the next card down for him, Silver's heart skips a beat. A look passes between Amy and Cream, as they let their lips slide into huge grins, barely containing their glee. Silver's blood is roaring in his ears, so he doesn't know which one of them says, " _The Lovers_! Aww!"

 _The Lovers._ Does that mean—? "What does...?"

"I think that one's pretty obvious, Silver," Amy laughs into the back of her hand, with singing, joyful jade eyes, "You're blushing — aww, Silver! See, I told you; love recognises love! You're so sweet! Someone is very, very lucky! You need to tell them how you feel!"

 _Terrible, terrible idea!_ His mind screams, but his chest is swelling, and suddenly there is a very small flame of hope, burning brightly. Suddenly, he really very badly wants this fortune to come true.

"Final one? Let's see what the spirits say what will happen, with your new-found love!"

He knows which card he's going to pick. It had drawn him in, from the start, but he hadn't known when to choose it, until now. Amy blinks at his confidence, as he pulls it out, but recovers quickly and tells him to turn it over.

He places it down.

There is a skeleton holding a scythe. Its hollow eyes wink, wickedly, at him. The card is _Death_.


	5. Forget-Me-Not

Author's note: **Hello! Apologies for the delay with this chapter** — **I** _ **umm**_ **-ed and** _ **ahh**_ **-ed for a long time about the direction I wanted to take Chapter 5 in and I'm finally happy with the final product, though it is rather different to what I had originally intended! This is the final 'angst' chapter for a while, as we'll be moving into light-hearted fluff after this (Chapter 6 will be on time, *hopefully* released in late September, as I have already started working on it!) so yay! :D**

 **As always, thank you to the lovely people who reviewed on the last chapter:** Ladywhite, asynt, Kawaii17, Roasted Toast, Random Dudette, cheru **and** randomcitizen12! **I adored reading your comments and** **you are the ones who bring this story alive, along with those who are favouriting, following and reading! Thank you so much!**

 **Replies:**

Ladywhite - **Thank you so so so much! I'm so glad that you enjoyed that scene! I started off loving the idea of Amy, Silver and Cream discussing crushes and getting all giggly (or, in Silver's case, desperately trying to hide his crush xD) and somewhere along the way the tarot cards came into it :D And it's incredible to hear that the ending had that effect! Thank you! Whilst Silver's reading of "Death" will clearly have an impact on the plot, his other cards and Cream's cards also hint towards future events, so keep an eye out for them too ;D Thank you ever so much and I really hope you enjoy this chapter! :3**

asynt - **Thank you ever so much! It makes me astoundingly happy to hear that, like you wouldn't believe! ^w^ I very much hope that you enjoy this chapter!**

Kawaii17 – **Haha, aw, I'm so glad that it was suspenseful! *grins as widely as possible*** **Muhahaa, my plans for Silver are...interesting ;D** **That is such a sweet thing to say, thank you! The portrayal of the characters is possibly the most important thing to me, in this fic, so I am insanely happy that you're enjoy it! Gah, that is so awesome! Thank you! I shall certainly carry on with this story** — **this chapter may have taken me a while, but I am LOVING writing this!** — **and I sincerely hope that you enjoy the rest of it! :D**

Roasted Toast – **Ahh, I'm so happy that the cliffhanger was so effective! :D** **Definitely expect the unexpected** — **who knows what might happen? And THANK YOU! I'm so glad to hear that! Ooh, yes, I love introducing Silver and Blaze into this world, where there are so many experiences which they haven't had the chance to enjoy, like chao and Crush 40! Yes, Shadow is certainly mistrusting of Silver! Yay, thank you so much, I'm ecstatic that the tarot cards were such a hit! I will definitely be bringing Amy's readings back in and they may hint towards future events ;D Your reviews always make me smile and I am LOVING their length, so please keep your thoughts coming! I always consider them when writing the next chapter, so they definitely make an impact!**

Random Dudette – **Eee! Thank you ever so much! I am squealing just a teeny little bit! ;D (Translation: I am squealing a hell of a lot)**

cheru – **Gosh, your review left me with a ridiculous amount of happy feelings! Thank you ever so much! Really? That's amazing, I'm so glad you felt like that! :D Aww, yes, Silver and Amy's friendship was something that I loved about 06 and Amy's experience with love will certainly come in handy! ;D I am so flattered, thank you! A focus on Shadow's issues will certainly pop up, later on, when Silver gains more of an insight into Shadow's true nature, which I am really looking forward to exploring ;) Not at all! Thank you for supporting me!**

randomcitizen12 – **It is amazing to hear that another writer of Shadilver is reading this! Are there really so few Shadilver stories? No, we must increase the number, as I am insanely in love with these two ;D Aww, thank you ever so much! I'm blushing over here! ;3 I really hope you enjoy this next chapter!**

 **Disclaimer:** **I own nothing but the plot and Silver's misery!**

* * *

 **5\. Forget-Me-Not**

* * *

 _He winces against the floor, rubbing his cheek across the cold stone, as he moves. There is a mechanical thumping in his head, low and booming, and everything swims when he rises. Raw, broken sobs echo in his ears, but his eyes are dry. With crushing effort, he props himself up on his elbows, trying to lift his gaze, only to face a crowd of shadows: horrible, looming and bereft. Then he rolls, stares at the sky on his back, feels queasy, watches the purple clouds burst and contort. And then he is gasping and choking and retching because Sonic is lying next to him, with soulless, dull emeralds and stiffening limbs and ajar lips, which have died with the words You did this, Silver, you caused this, there's nothing you can do to change it, you will live with this forever, but it still won't be enough_ —

A hip bumps against him. Silver flinches. He grips the bag for something to hold onto and shamefully turns away, to avoid the human's confused stare. Abruptly, he flees in a brisk walk and really, really wants to be able to go outside without witnessing traumatic flashbacks — or maybe they're flash _forwards_ , because his history is doomed to repeat itself — and his arms stick to his sides, rigid and defensive, as he continues along Station Square's pavement.

It had been his idea to go grocery shopping. A solo 'mission'. Silver has been going stir-crazy, cooped up in the Workshop, with that tarot reading pulsating in his head.

The skeletons visit him, at night, dancing in the fire.

He has never slept well, not since regaining his memories. But, upon coming to Sonic's time, there had been some recent, slow improvement. Now, it's even worse than before. The days are spent trying to conceal yawns; the nights are filled with jolting awake and melting-hot sweats. At the moment, he's succeeded in hiding it from Blaze, Sonic and Tails, but there have been instances where he's dozed off and spluttered awake on the couch, at the table, in the bath.

 _"The Death card doesn't mean that someone is going to die,"_ Amy had told him, _"It just means that it's the end of something. Please, Silver, don't read too much into it. Look at me. It really doesn't mean anything_ — _!"_

It means everything. He can feel it. Silver's destiny has placed a target on someone's back. He's going to cause yet another death.

He'd asked Amy and Cream to keep the tarot reading to themselves, for now. ("I promise I will, Silver, but I really think that Sonic can help you with this! ...Okay, I understand.") They're trying to stay strong, by believing that it simply can't mean death, but Silver's witnessed enough to throw off that naivety. It is entirely possible and he has to be the one to stop it, because it's _his_ fault. He's not going to tell the others, though. Why ruin their happiness, again, when he's finally in a position to do some good? He can finally do what he had always intended and save someone's future.

Silver doesn't know exactly how he's going to do that, but he will. Maybe this will go some way to relieving his guilt. Maybe this is his atonement.

Station Square is currently teeming with people, humming with life. He wonders if Crisis City used to be like this, long ago, before everything was burnt away — the streets, the people, the enthusiasm: all of it now ash — and he hopes that it was.

Silver can't understand why he feels a stronger connection to _that_ future, rather than the new one, which is his 'true' timeline.

Is it the true one? He remembers being happy, in a peacefully boring way. Had he been? He thinks so. Right? He's not entirely sure, either. Ever since the memories returned, it feels false. He no longer knows what is real and what is not.

Emerald Coast glimmers behind him, as Silver travels onward, into the darker depths of the city. The crowd thins out, a little bit, as everyone seems fixated on racing to the sandy beach and gloriously spreading out under the sun. He wonders what is so attractive about the idea. He'd heard Tails pondering to Sonic about inviting several of their friends to the beach — although, Seaside Hill had been the suggested destination — and making a day of it. But the blue hedgehog had stuttered and quickly babbled about Tails' research on locating the next Chaos Emerald.

Silver is pondering this over, when there is a piercing sound, like thousands of crystals shattering. Something smacks into him, before disappearing in a gust of wind.

His eyes dart about. _What the heck was that?_ There's no one around. By chance, he's standing at the mouth of an alleyway and he peers down it, shakily cautious for any kind of follow-up to the attack.

Someone is standing there, in the alley, with their back to him.

At first, he thinks it's Shadow — with the hard posture and the curved quills — but there are no red streaks. Only powder-blue ones. And then the figure is turning towards Silver, with no mouth, but somehow smiling all the same. Amusement swells in those dead, green eyes.

The bag slips from Silver's hand. There's no air.

He can't breathe.

"I-It can't be...you can't—!" But he is. Mephiles is standing there, abhorrent and victorious and _alive_.

And, suddenly, gone.

Silver's boots smack against the concrete, before his mind can catch up. He's now in the alleyway, with his feet aligned to where Mephiles had been standing. Because he had been standing there _,_ he had! Silver has been out of it, lately, but he's certain. That was real. _But it can't be, you killed him_ — _!_

"MEPHILES!" He yells, glaring up at the sky, wondering if Mephiles has fled to the rooftops. But these walls are smooth and high; there's no way that he could have climbed up, because Silver would have seen him. He presses a tentative hand against the bricks. Nothing, "Mephiles, if you're here—!"

"Silver?"

He spins on his heel, with outstretched, glowing hands, ready to flex his powers and grab Mephiles by the throat. Silver has never before wanted to kill, but the guilt doesn't overwhelm him, in this exception.

And now there's too much air and it's choking him. His fingertips are inches away from Shadow, who slowly tilts his head.

Silver can't move.

Neither of them say or do anything. But an unspoken conversation passes between them, through deadlocked eyes alone. Silver has no idea what they've just said to each other. He lowers his arms to his sides.

Shadow just stares.

Seeing him again is unsettling and mind-blowing, all at once. Silver has been easing himself into a state of acceptance — _Shadow doesn't feel the same way. So what? Who cares? I don't care_ — with questionable success. But he's getting over it. Slowly. Really, really slowly. Thoughts of Shadow don't pull at his innards like they used to; the sensation is now duller, like he's buried it in cotton wool. It's still incredibly distracting and he still can't think straight, but he doesn't feel like doubling over.

But Silver knows that he's on the precipice of those feelings again. He's so close to experiencing them, in their endless, agonizing regime. Perhaps it's already too late. He'll never pull himself free from this. He's been doomed from the start.

"Why are you...?" Silver trails off, but the unsaid words are louder than anything he could ever dream of saying.

"I saw you standing out there. You froze and ran in before I could ask what was wrong. It was strange," Shadow steps forward, brushing alongside Silver's shoulder, as he glowers up at the walls, which had transfixed the time traveller, moments before. Silver holds in a pleasurable shiver, wondering why the universe hates him, as he thinks about how easy it would be to press lips into lips, "Who's Mephiles?"

Silver blinks, "He's... he's no one important."

Shadow is looking at him again, disbelievingly. He briefly clenches his jaw and almost calls Silver's bluff, but decides against it. Maybe he can sense that it's a touchy subject and understands the need to have secrets. Whatever the reason, Silver's grateful, though he wonders if Shadow's clemency comes from personal experience. He remembers the sadness that had seeped from the black hedgehog, right from the start. It's better hidden, now, but it's still there. Lurking.

"Why did you follow me?" Silver can't help but ask, "I thought I was not to be trusted?"

The scowl in response is fierce and indignant, but there's no edge to it. Shadow acknowledges his hypocrisy by clearing his throat — deep and rumbling — and looking at a singular spot on the floor, "I am willing to admit that my opinion of you was premature. You did nothing to suggest that you are untrustworthy. It has also been brought to my attention that I was... unfair. I spoke harshly to you."

"... It's okay," Silver wants to reassure him, but doesn't know how, doesn't know if it's needed, wishes that Shadow would give him the chance to learn, "Let's pretend it didn't happen."

Shadow's head snaps up, as he narrows his eyes. Doesn't he believe him? A nervous smile from Silver causes him to look away, again, but the tension fades and his features faintly soften. Or maybe it's just wishful thinking from Silver, "Is there any improvement with your injuries?"

"My—? Oh," Silver reaches up and brushes his gloved fingers over his ear. The bandages had been removed, a couple of days ago. The bruises by his ribs have faded and paled. But the hand-print is still dwelling on his collarbone, proud and strong, announcing Shadow's presence, "They're okay. A bit sore, but healing. I've had worse."

Shadow's gaze has fallen to the mark, ghosting over Silver's torso on the way there, leaving a burning feeling as it idly drifts. Silver hates fire, but is struck by the stuttering pleasure that these flames bring.

Crimson meets gold. Another unspoken conversation passes.

Shadow steps forward and grips Silver's shoulder, angling the grey hedgehog so that he can examine the bruise with a thoughtful eye, "... Hmm. It will fade within a few days. It has been well protected."

"I-I see," Silver stutters, because Shadow's hand is still _there_. On his shoulder. Waiting.

And then, with the black hedgehog seemingly unaware, the hand drifts and settles in its clearly-defined place.

It doesn't register to Silver, until a little pressure is applied and a shaky gasp is ripped out of him. There's an ache, which lingers even after Shadow snatches his hand back, but only a small amount of it is pain: the rest is an ache for _more_.

Silver's inhale is loud and wobbly. Shadow has retreated to the other side of the alley, glaring at the wall. His shoulders are tense, but Silver doesn't dare say anything. Just what was that?

"That wasn't..." Shadow grinds to a halt, clenching and unclenching his fists, before heaving out an exasperated sigh. Silver doesn't know what Shadow had been intending to say and certainly doesn't have the concentration to work it out, right now.

Shadow grunts his annoyance and begins to storm off — Silver is going to let him go, but then he notices something in the black and red hedgehog's grip.

"Shadow?"

He halts.

"Is that... my bag?"

He looks down, as if he doesn't know what Silver is talking about and he's only just noticed that he's holding something. With an unconscious nod, Shadow turns and hands it to him, but pulls away as quickly as possible. Silver tries not to feel hurt. He fails.

"You dropped it," Shadow gruffly tells him.

He grasps the handle tighter, "Yeah. I must have. Thank you."

"I meant what I said, Silver. You're wasting your time on me," The words are soft. Silver swallows and cherishes how it almost feels intimate, because the baritone growl — which can so easily rip up into a roar — is now like a whisper. But the feeling is quickly yanked back, because Shadow is not inviting Silver into any kind of intimacy, "I'm not what you think. You shouldn't...hm. It will be better, this way."

His mouth runs dry. Purple lights dance in Silver's eyes. But he lets him leave, restraining himself from clasping Shadow's arm and pulling him into the fire, too.

The skeletons grin.

* * *

Silver flies back to the Workshop and sinks with relief when he finds the living room empty, save for Blaze.

Her tail coils inwards, when she gasps at Silver's sudden presence by her side, previously being lost in a symphony of thoughts within Sonic's headphones, which are plugged into the laptop resting on her curled-up legs. Blaze fondly smiles at him before freeing her ears and straightening, so that Silver can press closer into her side, slumped against her, weary and worn. He picks up the headphones and briefly holds them to his ears, listening, and places them back down.

"Classical music?"

"The very opposite," Shyly, she quirks her lips upwards, "There are things known as _covers_ , where musicians recreate famous songs in their own style. I suppose they've gone out of fashion, in our time. It seems I have taken a liking to the violin versions."

"Ah. Now the violins make sense. It's pretty," The end of her tail curls into a hook.

"... Thank you. The variety of music here is remarkable. I am almost starting to wonder if there is too much choice."

Silver rolls his gaze over the computer screen, where she's gesturing, and ends up collapsing. His cheek slips off Blaze's shoulder and he manages to catch himself, but her comforting hand on his back prompts him to tentatively lay his head in her lap, stretching his legs out on the couch.

He's exhausted.

Blaze stiffens, initially, and he is just about to get up and apologise and say he doesn't know why he's being so clingy, all of a sudden, when her hand returns to him, now brushing through his quills in a cycle, fingers soothing and relaxing against his skin.

He sighs, content. Silver can hear her small huff of laughter.

The stress of earlier on slowly seeps out of him, combed out by her fingertips. If Silver closes his eyes, he can almost block out the maniacal laughter and mouth-less face from his mind. Almost. The echoing of _It will be better, this way_ , still rings in his ears, though, and isn't something that he can easily dislodge.

"Silver?" Blaze leans forward, attempting to catch his eye, but her hand continues to move, unwaveringly, "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, of course. I'm just tired, that's all."

The hand slows. Blaze sighs and he can feel the air caressing the back of his neck, "You don't have to pretend, with me."

"Pretend?"

"You become grumpy when you're tired. But you show affection when you're sad."

"I'm... I'm not..." There's no use in feigning innocence. She knows him too well. Blaze can read him like an open book, in an instant, and it's always been that way - for someone so closed off, she's astoundingly perceptive. Or perhaps their unbreakable bond has simply carried them to this point? Should Silver be able to read her, in the same way?

"Tell me," She utters, softly threading quills between her fingers, "I wish to help you."

Bile rises in his throat, curving along the roof of his mouth, tasting foul, "I..."

"Yes?"

"... Mephiles is alive."

Her hand stills. He waits for her to say something, but it is a long time before she nuzzles the back of his head with her knuckles — a comforting gesture that sends both of them back to their childhoods, but he can feel the nervousness, "That's impossible."

"Blaze, I wish it were, but—"

"No, Silver. It is not possible. Mephiles is dead."

He doesn't know how to react. Unable to see her face, he listens to the stoic tone of her voice — almost as if she's been set to default, blank and expressionless — and wonders if she feels (remembers?) the terror and guilt as much as he does, "How do we know that for certain? We can't just assume, not with him, we _can't!_ "

"Exactly! We cannot assume. So did you verify his presence? Did anyone else see him? What makes you so sure he's alive, Silver, when it is absolutely impossible for him to be?"

"I _saw_ him—!"

"That is not valid proof," They're sitting up now, staring each other down, breathing heavily and becoming riled, "Even if you were completely yourself. Which you are not. You have not been yourself, Silver, you've been all over the place, distracted and quiet and—!"

"I am _fine!_ "

"You are anything _but_ fine!" She yells, voice strained, leaping from the couch to clench her fists and glare down at him, "Do not think that this is about my reservations for coming to this time, because it is _not_. This is about you, Silver, because this 'reappearance' of Mephiles is yet further proof: you haven't been fine ever since you got your memories back!"

"What are you talking about?!"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about! It is impossible not to notice! I see it whenever I look into your eyes, Silver! You are haunted by what happened, for whatever reason, be it trauma or guilt or—"

"Of course I'm haunted! _I_ _killed_ _someone!_ "

There's a deafening silence. Blaze still looks like she's glaring daggers into him, but her voice breaks as she says, "You can't honestly believe that."

Telling him that it wasn't his fault because he didn't directly fire a beam into Sonic's back doesn't mean anything. Silver made it possible and, therefore, there is just as much blood on his hands as on Mephiles'. Blaze realises that he feels this way as soon as he raises his head and looks at her.

And, aside from that, there are still so many other things to feel guilty for, "And then I... lost you, Blaze. I couldn't save you."

" _I_ chose that fate—"

"It should've been me!"

"It breaks my heart to see you like this, Silver. When I think of what you used to be—" She corrects herself, knowing that Silver no longer regards the new future as his home, not really, "—what you should've been...I wish we'd never even known about the other timeline. I can't watch you destroy yourself like this and I refuse to. But I don't think the answer is to offer yourself up to the first person you identify with."

"...Offer myself up...?"

"I'm talking about Shadow. He is not the answer."

"There's nothing..." Nothing to fear? Nothing going on between them? Nothing that will make him even remotely _trust_ Silver?

"You wish there was," Blaze hangs her head, half-wincing, "I...understand the appeal. There's an intriguing...background to him, which has clearly hardened and defined him, so that he can function. But he is not what you should aim to be, Silver."

He stands and takes a step closer, "We don't know anything about him—"

"No. We _don't_ ," She glowers up at him, "You have been quick to trust him, but I have not and that was apparently a wise precaution. I asked Sonic about him—"

"You had no right," He is mildly surprised by the ferocity in his voice, instead of a plea.

"Why not? Why do you trust him, when you admit that you know nothing about him? What can have happened, in Soleanna, that makes you vouch for him, this much?!"

"...Why do you vouch for _me_ , Blaze?! Why am I anymore trustworthy than him? After everything I've done and put you through, why do you still think that _I'm_ redeemable?!"

"Because I—!" Grinding her teeth together, Blaze turns her head to one side and lets her eyes flicker over the wall, as if she's watching her thoughts zip and buzz around in her mind, "You're still doing it. You're comparing yourself to him. He is _dangerous_."

"I don't care," He's being petulant. He should care. But Silver has never stopped being naive and he can't bear to watch this one perfection in his life be shattered.

"Then he will hurt you."

Silver knows this. He's always known it. But hearing it aloud is different, somehow, and he honestly doesn't know what he would've said in response — something along the lines of _and I'll still feel this way_ , _regardless,_ but probably far less eloquently and much angrier — if Sonic hadn't chosen that moment to walk through the front door with Knuckles.

"Are you guys okay?" Sonic asks, hesitantly, because it's pretty obvious that he and Knuckles had heard the shouting, from outside. His head swivels from Blaze to Silver and back again.

"... Yeah, we're fine," The grey hedgehog lies, when it becomes clear that Blaze is too stubborn to even pretend that she wants to be in the same room as Silver, right now.

"If it's a bad time..."

"It's not," Blaze decides to speak now, for whatever reason, but Sonic looks like he wishes she hadn't, not with that razor-sharp edge in her voice.

Knuckles raises his eyebrows, leaning in towards Sonic, but he's just loud enough for Silver to hear, "Good goin', Blue."

"Shuddit," Sonic turns the gritted teeth into a grin and Silver appreciates the effort, because none of them are making it easy for him, "Okay. Well. Knuckles and Silver, you've already met each other, but this is Blaze. She's also got cool super powers, remember I was tellin' you, Knux?"

"I remember," The Guardian of the Master Emerald leans forward, thrusting out his hand. Blaze grips and shakes, her slender palm dwarfed by thick, spiked gloves, "You're from the future too, huh?"

"Yes."

"...Cool."

"I suppose."

Sonic's eyes drift to Silver, who tries to send back an apology, "Blaze is a Guardian, too, Knux. For the Sol Emeralds. You ever heard of them?"

"'Can't say I have."

"Unsurprisingly, as I prefer to keep their existence unknown, to avoid any attempt of thievery..." Blaze sends a side-long frown, accusingly, to Silver, who stiffens but boils under the skin because _come on, Blaze, this is Sonic!_ "But I imagine that our roles as guardians vary quite a bit, even though they are all emeralds."

"Exactly," Knuckles has one eyebrow cocked, flinging a strangely smug smile in Sonic's direction. Blaze looks entirely unimpressed, "Though, the Master Emerald ain't just some emerald. You used Chaos Emeralds to travel here, from the future, right? Well, since the Master Emerald can control all of them, I'd say it's probably the most powerful thing in the universe. What do your Sol Emeralds do?"

Silver says nothing, waiting for Blaze's reaction to the obvious rivalry, but smirks despite himself, because _really?_ An emerald-comparing-contest? _Now?_

"They ensure the survival of my entire dimension — past, present and future — and without them there would be chaos. Islands would sink, skies would fall, oceans would boil..."

"Huh. Angel Island falling doesn't seem so dangerous, now," Sonic ponders with a wide smirk, baiting Knuckles and shaking his head when it works.

"Angel Island is extremely dangerous, in order that it can ward off thieves! And there is little that the Master Emerald can't do!"

"Yeah, like _not_ getting stolen every other week..." The blue hedgehog drily quips back, "Though, I guess I can't really blame the _emerald_ for that, eh, Knux?"

Stone-face, Knuckles pauses and grinds out a reply, "Well, it's a task I've been assigned, as the last member of my race, which is why it _always_ comes back to where it belongs."

"...Mine is a task I have been training for since birth," Blaze helpfully adds, a competitive glitter in her eye, as she ignores Silver's warning glare.

"Yeah!? Well! ...My emerald's probably bigger. _Ha_."

Blaze blinks. Waits. Snorts out a laugh, possibly at the ridiculousness of it all. Her lips curve upwards, "Yes, well. Perhaps you have beaten me, there."

"Heh," Knuckles juts out his chin, victoriously, and it's difficult to tell whether he's sending himself up or genuinely pleased. It doesn't matter, though, because the tension has decreased and they're smirking at each other, amiably, "You're not so bad for a guardian."

"Same to you."

Silver watches, as they engage in conversation, and leans closer to Sonic when the blue hedgehog sidles up to him, without looking away, "You were right, you know."

"Eh?" Sonic peers at him, "Right about what?"

"Blaze and Knuckles. It didn't take that much pushing for them to start swapping guardian stories."

Sonic chuckles, rubbing a hand against the back of his neck, "I guess, sometimes, kindred spirits find each other despite their differences."

"Yeah..." Silver echoes. His mind wanders to Blaze's strange observation, about him identifying with Shadow, and wonders if there is some truth in it.

"Listen, Silv, sorry about barging in on you and Blaze. If I'da known—"

"No, no. It's fine, Sonic, honestly. I'm sorry that we were being so loud..."

"Nah, dude, it's cool. I...I get it, you know? Tensions are high. You're in a strange place and it must be getting to you. It's understandable."

Nodding faintly, Silver fixes his stare on the floor and lowers his voice, "Blaze and I have...different views, about our past, and they've unfortunately come out, since being here. It's something we need to sort out."

"It's better to let it out than bottle it up. It's gonna be hard, but you'll pull through, I know you will. You guys have something strong. One lil' disagreement won't break that."

"I worry that, one day, the disagreement won't be so little."

"Maybe that day'll come, but maybe it won't. You can't let it affect the now, Silver. You can't live like that. You just gotta live for the moment."

Silver looks up at Sonic. Certainty swirls in his eyes - Sonic absolutely, one-hundred-percent, believes this to be true. Maybe that's where Silver's gone wrong. It has always been about the past or the future: never the present. Coming here, seeing Sonic and Tails, Amy and Cream, and Knuckles... they're content in a way that Silver and Blaze have never been.

"... I will try to remember that, Sonic."

Sonic smiles. Some of his lightness returns to his shoulders, as he glances over at Blaze and Knuckles, who are intensely sharing knowledge about something, nodding their heads passionately in understanding, "Tails has got an exact reading on that Chaos Emerald. We can set out, tomorrow, to get it, if you want? You're both probably anxious to get back home."

Silver is silent, trying to work out where home is.

"Not that you have to, though! You've got a place here, for as long as you want it," Sonic reaches out and places a hand on Silver's shoulder, reassuringly squeezing, "It's nice having you here. I dunno what it is, but it feels like we've known each other a lot longer than we have. Like we're meant to be friends? Maybe. S'probably just me."

Silver meets those emeralds again, instantly beaming, "No, Sonic, I know exactly what you mean. I feel it, too."

* * *

It is late in the evening and the laptop has been sitting on the table, staring at Silver, from when Blaze left it there, hours earlier.

Mephiles is still behind his eyes, whenever he closes them. Silver knows that sleep will not come easily, tonight, and will instead be a battle. But he wonders if perhaps a sense of closure, however small, might soothe his wild fears. Just a reassurance, that there haven't been any other sightings of Mephiles, that maybe Silver really is just going insane.

The computer is cool, as he lifts it onto his lap, but it whirrs to life and grows warm as it begins to boot up. Alone on the couch, Silver is illuminated by a low, honey-coloured lamp nearby — Blaze and, surprisingly, Sonic have gone upstairs and drifted off to sleep, exhausted, and Silver's heading that way himself — but there is also the brighter light seeping through the Workshop door's glass window, where Tails is working on blue-prints and other quiet tasks.

There's a ding, when the machine has finally opened onto the desktop. Silver clicks on the strange circular icon, like Tails had explained to him a couple of days ago, and blinks as the internet page opens.

Silver is used to holograms and thought recognition, but he doesn't let the old technology faze him. Instead, his fingers flitter over the keyboard and the fine black letters start to appear in the search-box.

He presses enter.

 _Your search_ — **Mephiles** — _did not match any documents_.

The relief is overwhelming, juddering through his bones, but he's frantically deleting and re-typing different strings of words.

 _Your search_ — **Flame of Solaris** — _did not match any documents_.

 **Iblis**. _About this result_...

... There are several links to religious scripture, about an evil Jinn of the same name (how fitting, Silver wryly thinks), but there's nothing to suggest the imminent resurrection of Silver's nightmares.

 _Oh, thank Chaos._

(He's starting to pick up Sonic's language, but he doesn't mind, because he certainly doesn't want to thank Solaris for anything.)

Just to satisfy his paranoia, he searches for sightings of: ' **Black hedgehog with blue streaks'.**

There are no descriptions of Mephiles — Silver has never been so thankful to be wrong, though he now needs to deal with the problem of PTSD hallucinations, it seems. And there are, however, articles and descriptions and reports and documents all centered around the blue streak, Sonic the Hedgehog.

He stumbles across a photograph, from way back when, and smiles to himself, knowingly. A younger Sonic grins back at him, arm slung around an even younger Tails' shoulder, completely unaware of how mighty he will become. _You will be the saviour of the universe, Sonic the Hedgehog._

A brief glance at headlines allows Silver to build up a timeline of events, of this world, in his head. "Chaos Clean-Up Continues!" talks about the rebuilding of a flooded Station Square, after Sonic's victory against Perfect Chaos. "One Small Step for Hedgehog!" details Eggman's destruction of the moon and the power of the Eclipse Cannon. "Metal Madness!" reveals the existence of Metal Sonic and his desire to eradicate everyone and everything, until his fateful demise.

Solanna is never once mentioned. Maybe Sonic has never even visited the City of Water.

What about Shadow?

Silver hesitates. There's a nagging itch under his skin, a profound sensation of wrong — this feels a lot like spying — but his curiosity sings even louder. He blinks and suddenly he has typed in ' _Shadow the Hedgehog'_ , has hit a button and the articles all pop up, one by one.

He guiltily reads.

An hour slips past. Silver's head is filled with confusing theories over the Space Colony ARK and the Biolizard and Shadow himself, the Ultimate Life Form. His mind is bursting with bitter remarks about the Black Arms and the alien invasion of 2005 and Black Doom. Anonymous people have drawn connections between Shadow and Eggman; Shadow and Sonic; Shadow and something called GUN.

Silver researches Guardian Units of Nations and a blank webpage loads. He frowns.

But then Tails' laptop suddenly beeps, steadily and frequently, as the screen flickers and Silver feels a sweat break out on his forehead. _Have I broken it?_ He panics, internally, as code taps itself out in green font and flashes dangerously. Then, the code stops and the computer whirs as it processes.

Files load on a black screen. One thousand, eight hundred and sixty six files, apparently. There is a search-box, for keywords, and the GUN logo glares at him from the top-right corner.

Silver fearfully stares back at the screen.

Six taps of letters — S-H-A-D-O-W — and seven sub-folders leap towards him.

" _Agent Shadow_ "/ " _Black Arms_ "/ " _Prison Island_ "/" _Project Shadow_ "/ " _Shadow Clones_ "/ " _Space Colony ARK_ "/" _Ultimate Life Form_ ".

He instantly cancels the search. This is wrong. This is Shadow's privacy, formally organised and typed up and easily _accessible!_ Clearly, there is much more to Shadow than meets the eye - this doesn't surprise Silver much - but how could Shadow allow it to be so available?!

The Workshop door clatters shut and Silver snaps his neck up. Tails blinks, from the other side of the living room, and offers a sympathetic smile.

"Sorry, Silver, I didn't mean to startle you. I was just grabbing a glass of water. Everything okay with you?"

"Y-Yeah," Silver swivels the computer towards Tails, revealing the GUN archives. The kitsune swiftly approaches, squinting at the screen, "I was online, though, and read something about GUN. When I looked at their website, all this code appeared and the laptop started beeping and this came up."

"Ohh, okay, I know what happened," Tails sinks down onto the couch, next to him, and Silver only now notices the oil smears on his face, as if they'd been absent-mindedly smudged there. Silver hands over the computer, "GUN doesn't offer up information, easily, which is really annoying because we sometimes need to access stuff that could help save the world. So, after a bit of work, I managed to build a program which can hack into their system and files, no matter the clearance level. To save time, I made it automatic — that beeping and code was the computer hacking into GUN's database. That's what all these files are."

Silver stares at him, wide-eyed, "Isn't that... kind of illegal?"

"A little, yeah," Tails grimaces and scratches the back of his head: a nervous habit which Silver suspects he picked up from the Blue Blur, "Sonic and I aren't too comfortable about it, but needs must, you know? We just don't mention it to Shadow and Rouge, since they're GUN agents themselves. Thinking about it, Rouge actually probably wouldn't care. She's kinda lax about things like that, especially if she can get jewels out of it. Shadow wouldn't be pleased, though."

"Shadow and Rouge are GUN agents?"

"Surprising, right? They don't strike anyone as the militant-type. Rouge joined, a while back, because apparently it's good pay and they overlook some of her, uhh... _indulgences_. I honestly have no idea why Shadow signed up. He gets to work with Rouge and they're both pretty high-ranking, but it still doesn't seem like his thing."

No, it really doesn't. Silver can't picture Shadow being barked at and ordered around; he's always struck Silver as an autonomous figure. What could have prompted him to join?

"Anyway," Tails rapidly types something, not looking up from the screen, "Even though it's dangerous for us to have access to this, we still have to hack into each file manually, which protects the information. GUN's firewalls are annoyingly long-winded. Is there anything that you want to cross-reference, with the future, from here?"

Silver tries to cover up his surprise at the offer. But no matter how enticing the files had looked, he's made up his mind. Privacy is a precious thing, "Thank you, Tails. But no, there are some things which should stay unread."

"Good call," Tails wistfully nods.

"Is there any way just to see if GUN has information on something, though? Not read it, just... see if it exists?"

"Yeah, sure! What do you want to know?"

"Can you see if they have anything on 'Mephiles'?"

"Me-phi-les..." The orange fox sounds it out, as he searches. After a short moment, he vigorously shakes his head. Silver releases his breath, "Sorry, nothing on Mephiles. Is that a place in the future?"

"No, it's a person. I just wanted to know if GUN knew of him."

"You know, Shadow spoke to Sonic today, while he was out. He was asking about a Mephiles, too."

Silver's blood freezes in his veins. Dread tangles and settles in his chest, "A-Are you sure?"

"Pretty sure. Sonic didn't know anything. He's never heard of it before. Is Mephiles someone that both you and Shadow know?"

 _Oh Chaos, oh Solaris, oh Iblis_ , "Sort of. Tails, if you hear anything else about Mephiles, will you let me know? And can we... can we keep this between us two?"

"Of course. Even from Blaze?"

Especially from Blaze, "I think that'd be best, for now."

"I understand," Tails' baby-blue eyes follow as Silver stretches up and pads towards the stairs, his gaze innocent and thoughtful, "Silver? Is Mephiles someone that we should be wary of?"

 _Dull emeralds, glazed over, in the pale face of a corpse, making the blue quills glow even brighter. He can hear one of the mourning voices. A young male, anguished and screaming. Sonic, please, you have to wake up, this can't happen, you're my brother, I didn't even get the chance to say goodbye...!_

"I will take care of Mephiles, Tails. No matter the cost. I swear it."


	6. Cake (Not) by the Ocean

Author's note: **It's finally time to push aside the angst, for a bit, and let the light-hearted fluff take center-stage! WHOO! (Let the awkwardness commence!) I'd love to know what you think, because I'm very nervous (and excited!) about this chapter!**

 **Thank you ever so much to:** Roasted Toast, animelover5641 **and** Failsona **for spurring me on and making me grin! :D And thank you also to those who are favouriting, following and reading! Love you guys!**

 **Replies:**

Roasted Toast - **Thank you ever so much! Ah, yep, that last chapter was pretty angsty, but we're gonna take a break from that, now, and get on with the Shadilver cuteness ;D Yes, Silver definitely didn't need Blaze adding to his increasingly-bad day. Oh, no, that made sense, don't worry! And I'm definitely going to be exploring Mephiles' demise from 06, as we continue, so stay tuned for that, haha! Aw, I'm really glad that you liked Knuckles and Blaze as Guardian-friends! I must admit, I haven't played Rush either, but I think Knuckles is in it, just as a minor role. I don't think they showed much bonding between Knuckles and Blaze though, which is a shame. Haha, oh gosh, I was worried that I'd have to make Tails come in and say "Um, Silver, why are you hacking into GUN?" but I decided not to go down that path xD Thank you so much for your review and I really hope you like this chapter!**

animelover5641 - **Thank you SO much for your reviews! I loved reading them and I'm so glad you're enjoying it so far! Haha, aw, I'm happy to hear that I got the summary right! Silver is definitely going to experience some tough times, during this situation, but it won't be all bad (probably) ;) Thank you!**

Failsona - **Aw, that's so nice, thank you! That made me really happy! *\\(^-^)/* Hehe, Mephiles is a bit of a mystery at the moment, but things shall be revealed along the way! ;D I really hope you like this chapter and please let me know how I did with the awkwardness/pining! :3**

 **Disclaimer : 'Still own nothing! If I did, Silver would have his own game!**

* * *

 **6\. Cake (Not) by the Ocean**

* * *

"Dude. What's with the creepy staring and standing still?"

Knuckles scowls at him, digging folded arms tighter against his chest, "I'm trying to work out how it's even possible that you messed that up."

"Shuddup," Sonic quips back, as he unceremoniously dumps the hamper down on the grass, "How was I meant to know that cupcakes need sugar?"

"Because I told you," Passing one end to Silver, Tails walks backwards until the blanket is fully unrolled, "Several times."

"Well, I was busy preparing for this shindig! And it's no sweat, they'll taste great, you'll see!"

"Don't say shindig. You sound like an idiot. More so than usual."

"Words hurt, Knuckles."

"Besides, exactly _what_ preparing were you doing? It's your girlfriend who's bringing all the food and stuff. Remind me again what you've done to help?"

" _Not_ my girlfriend! And get off'a ya high horse, Knux, you haven't—Blaze, could you hold onto the napkins, for a sec, thanks—done anything either! 'Ohh, I came down from my island and graced everyone with my presence.' Big whoop."

As he bends down to unpack plastic plates, Knuckles shoots a smirk at the blue hedgehog, "Says the one who practically begged me to come, because it wouldn't be the same without me, apparently."

"Yeah, well, I get that some of us don't make friends so easily. Or at all, in your case. And thinking about you, up there — crying yourself to sleep because you weren't with me — was just a major downer."

Tails shakes his head at Silver, with a grin playing on his lips, while he straightens out the patterned blanket and lays it down. Blaze lingers at Silver's side, watching the camaraderie with baffled interest.

"Leave Knuckles alone, Sonic! He makes friends just fine! Now, could you come and give us a hand with these?" Amy arrives with a slight stagger, burdened by the weight of her picnic baskets. Sonic blinks at her briskness, in place of smothering affection, but shrugs it off in favour of zooming over and helping.

"Yes, Ma'am!" His flirtatious grin (because it _is_ flirtatious, Silver notes, with mild surprise) drops, as soon as he carries the weight of the basket, "Jeez! Ames, what the heck do you have in here? _Eggman?!_ "

"Nine people need a lot of food!" She defends, but turns rosy at the fond nickname.

Cream joins Amy's side, after skipping towards the group with a box in her hands and Cheese fluttering, overhead, "Amy and I spent a lot of time baking and preparing the food, Mr Sonic!"

"I'm sure ya did, Cream," Sonic flashes that trademark smile down at the rabbit. Then he turns back to Amy — who's purposefully avoiding his gaze — and shocks them all by dropping a kiss to her temple, instantly pacifying her, "And it smells great."

"Okay. Why is Sonic actin' all weird?" Knuckles grunts, observing the easy-going conversation between Sonic, Cream and a giggling Amy. He doesn't bother to conceal his suspicion. Silver doesn't blame him though — they're all watching, transfixed, "Did Amy slip a love potion into his drink again?"

Lightly chuckling, Tails tilts his head to one side, "I don't think so. This has been going on for a while now. I think something happened between them and he's trying to make it up to her."

"Maybe it's for not going to her house?" Silver suggests.

"Could be, but I don't think so. Something big happened. He won't tell me though; any mention of Amy and he starts clamming up."

"Perhaps he's admitted that he has feelings for her," Blaze frowns at the triad of shocked expressions. She isn't fazed by the sudden attention, but her eyes flicker over to Silver, "Is this not the case?"

"How do you know that he has feelings for her?" Silver asks, slightly stupefied by Blaze's certainty.

She smiles to herself, suggestively, as she returns to watching Amy glomp a grimacing Sonic, "It's quite plain to see."

"It is?" Tails' tone is pondering. Then he clears his throat and thoughts, "I guess I see what you mean, but that really doesn't sound like Sonic. He'd need another whole month of conflict and inner-turmoil, at least, before he confessed. If it's something to do with jealousy, then maybe a couple of weeks, but we'd definitely know if he was jealous."

"Then it's obvious," Knuckles announces, revelling in their curious stares. He proudly puffs his chest up and smirks, eyes closed, "In typical fashion, Sonic messed something up. Put his foot in it or said something wrong, I don't know. He annoyed Amy and now he's tryna win her back. Like I said, typical."

"You know what they say, Knuckie. People who live in glass houses shouldn't cast stones."

The red echidna swivels. He instantly hardens, "What're you trying to say, Rouge?"

She hums in amusement, as she pushes her sunglasses above her eyes, on top of her head. Ivory locks fan out, in different directions, and fly away from her face, revealing more bronze skin, "Simply that you haven't been very nice to little old _me_ , lately."

"Why would I be?" The bluntness is painful.

"Tsk. Chivalry's been dead for some time..." She half-mutters, rolling startlingly-clear eyes and slotting her hands onto her hips. Silver admires Rouge's white dress, with flared sleeves and tasteful lace, quite different to the tight bodysuit she'd been wearing when they first met, "Watch yourself, Knucklehead, or my man might teach you a lesson."

"Your man?" Knuckles' tone is hard to read.

"Shadow is twice the man you are," She beckons off somewhere, for someone to come closer, and Shadow is now striding towards them. Silver flushes, but there's a painful tug when Rouge throws her arms around Shadow's neck and her painted lips curl upwards, "Much stronger. Much hotter."

Shadow and Silver's eyes meet.

Silver starts to sweat.

But Mephiles suddenly flares up in his mind and the fire is extinguished. Because _he was asking about a Mephiles, too_. Shadow's probably just wondering if Silver will reveal anything else about Mephiles. The Ultimate Life Form (because it's easier to think of him like that, instead of Shadow, who sends electric shivers down Silver's spine) is merely curious. The disappointment and jealousy smash into Silver, like a wave, but he stays upright against it.

Silver looks away.

"—won't you, Shadow?"

"Excuse me?" Shadow mumbles, distractedly. Almost shyly, Silver would say, if he didn't know any better. He thinks he hears an angry growl from Blaze's throat.

"You. Protecting my honour from Knuckles' ruffian remarks. He has no concept of romance! Or manners in general, it seems. Will you teach him a lesson for me?"

"You're capable of fighting your own battles," Shadow detaches himself from Rouge and turns to Knuckles, impassive and monotonous, "Apologise, Guardian, before she takes offence and attacks you."

Rouge glares at the sound of Knuckles' victorious snort, before scoffing and saying, "His dirty talk is much better than his fighting talk."

"Thanks, Bat-Girl, for an image that I really didn't need," Knuckles groans, definitely _not_ victorious.

"Hehey! Get the cameras ready! Knuckles the Jealous Echidna is now our headliner!"

"Rich talk, lover-boy," Grumbling, the Guardian of the Master Emerald light-heartedly shoves Sonic's hands away, which are currently making a square, with one lime eye glittering through the gap. Silver thinks he can see the very light smattering of a blush on Knuckles' cheeks and the thought makes him smile.

Sonic doesn't rise to the bait, instead proclaiming that he's too hungry to talk smack at Knuckles, and goes about setting up the sun parasols which Rouge and Shadow have brought along. The rest of them disperse and unpack, while Blaze leans over and lowly asks Tails, "Are they often like this?"

Tails snickers, before grinning up at her, "You don't know the half of it."

* * *

 _This was a bad idea. Like 'time-travel-into-the-past-and-try-to-kill-something-that-moves-at-the-speed-of-sound' level of bad._

"Is this seat taken?" Silver weakly smiles, shocked that he can form sentences, without stuttering or stammering. Patiently, he waits, though he knows the answer, because he's been carefully watching and trying to pick up the courage to come over, for the last half hour.

Shadow looks up and frowns. Silver's smile wobbles and falls.

After a quick once-over with a flick of ruby eyes ( _he's either checking me out or checking for weapons,_ Silver decides), Shadow tosses a hand at the space next to him, indicating its vacancy, before shifting and watching the horizon. Silver obediently sits, leaning back against the tree trunk and releasing his breath, awkwardly proud of himself.

"You didn't fancy the game of tag, either?"

Shadow doesn't respond, instead following the dancing, coloured figures, down on the grassy plain. Red makes a leap for blue, but blue suddenly flashes and shoots forward, joining orange. Pink and cream dance together, not far off.

The faint passing of soft conversation sweeps over them. Rouge and Blaze have also opted to remain in the shade, but they're sitting on the blankets, a fair distance away. Silver is slightly wary of their lowered voices and occasional, knowing laughter.

Silver snatches a glance at the black and red hedgehog. His posture is rigid but, somehow, not unfriendly. He takes it to be a good sign and racks his brain for further one-sided conversation.

"So, what did you think of Amy's—?"

"You ask a lot of questions when you're nervous."

He wets his lips, "I'm not nervous."

"You will not offend me. I make a lot of people nervous," Shadow says it so matter-of-factly that Silver can't help but look, wondering if his expression will crack at all. The frown remains in place.

"I'm sure that's not true..."

"It is."

"... Maybe," Silver concedes, after a long pause, but he settles his gaze on the game of tag, once more, and lifts his shoulders, "But, even so, you don't make me nervous."

In the silence, Silver tries to sneak another look and is startled when he gets caught in Shadow's stare. He doesn't try to fight it. He just stares back and tries to look less longing. They don't mention the heavy intensity between them. Not that it's anything new.

Shadow inhales through his nose and straightens up, as if he's suddenly realised something. Silver greedily waits.

"No. You are still nervous. But it's not for the same reason."

A breathy laugh escapes Silver, before he looks down at the grass. He doesn't know what to feel, "Is that a good thing?"

"I haven't decided yet."

Silver chuckles again, freely loosening his shoulders and very slowly sinking into relaxation. Shadow peers at him — confusion is stamped all over his face — but it's more curious than anything else.

Silver smiles, "Why don't we start over? Except, uh, without the fighting from last time."

"Alright," Shadow nods, satisfied, but his expression is still tinged with hesitation. It feels as though he's trying to break into the time traveller's thoughts and unlock his secrets, if he just stares hard enough.

Something about Shadow's restraint spurs Silver on, "Whatever you want to ask, you can, you know. It's just... you look like you want to."

"What has Mephiles done?"

Silver reddens, "I-I kinda meant a less... um. We should probably ease into a conversation like that."

"I see," Shadow turns away, pensive, but not closed-off, "You meant small talk?"

"Yeah! Like small talk."

"Rouge is keen for me to practice small talk. It is not pleasant."

Silver doesn't know whether to laugh or cry, because _really?_ But he decides that he didn't defeat a sun god, save the universe and go against the forces of nature just to give up now. Not when it finally feels like some progress is being made.

Slightly bolstering with that thought, his mouth runs away with him, "Is Rouge your girlfriend?"

He instantly regrets it.

Shadow's head snaps up, brows furrowed. Silver swallows, trying to remain dead-still because maybe they can both forget that he ever asked that — _why did he ask that?!_ But the Ultimate Life Form gradually smooths out his frown and a smirk twitches against the curve of his mouth.

"No. We don't see each other in that way. Why do you ask?"

"I-I just thought... you guys seem really close and..."

"We are close," Shadow brings his leg up, so that it's bent at the knee, and rests his elbow against it, "We're partners. We live together."

"Partners?"

"Yes."

"How so? If you're not... _you know_."

Shadow analyses him and, presumably, figures that Silver is trustworthy enough for whatever he's about to tell him, "I am a GUN agent. Rouge is my partner for missions."

"Oh, right! Tails told me about GUN..." More lies. More pretending that he knows less about Shadow than he actually does. A sick feeling settles in his stomach, but he presses on. He really doesn't want Shadow to find out that they were discussing _him_ , as well as GUN, "What's it like living with Rouge?"

Shadow pauses, thinks and then decides, "Enlightening."

"Really? In what way?"

"I was not... experienced, when I met her. There were a lot of things that I was yet to learn. Living and working with her has opened this world up for me," His eyes narrow, as a new thought comes to him, "Perhaps it has given me perspective."

Silver gives him a gentle smile, sensing that Shadow would really like to _not_ dwell on the reason for that, thank you very much. He can relate, "Go on, then. What's one thing that you've learnt?"

"You don't microwave silverware."

Laughter bubbles out of him. That's what Shadow's taken away from life? "Well, it's a good thing to know!" He settles and figures that he should probably admit something in return, "Where I come from, microwaves aren't common. I mean, we know about them, but... I guess they went out of fashion. I've never actually seen one."

Well, he's seen Sonic and Tails' microwave, but it's an odd, built-in-the-oven one and it doesn't quite fit with the bulky stereo-esque device that he's got in mind.

Shadow looks at Silver. At first, it reads as _what the heck, you heathen,_ but then it slides into something like relief, though Silver's not sure why, "Integrating into a new society is difficult."

It sounds like he's speaking from experience.

"Yeah. I forget, sometimes. Then there are times when the gaps feel huge and I remember that I don't belong here."

"... Rouge's microwave is grey. A shade darker than your fur. About twenty-four by fourteen by sixteen inches. The door is black and made of glass. The display numbers are red," Shadow confidently acknowledges Silver's incredulous stare. Then it hits him.

 _Is he trying to help me fit in?_

Silver's heart throbs and he has never wanted more.

"If you really wish to see one, she will show you," Shadow continues, unaware of what he's truly done for Silver. It also doesn't escape the grey hedgehog's notice that Shadow says she _will_ show him; that Shadow will ensure it, "It is an important device. Rouge loathes cooking. She microwaves most things."

"She's not alone. I'm terrible at cooking," Silver beams, too busy walking on Cloud Nine to be ashamed, because cooking doesn't matter in the slightest, not when Shadow is talking to him like this.

"... I don't mind it. There are times when I find it relaxing. When I was first settling in, Amy came to our apartment and taught me some recipes," Shadow ducks his head, lowly muttering, "Do not tell Sonic this. Or anyone at all."

"Of course," Silver is actually giddy, "It will stay between us. And Amy."

The following pause is natural — content, even, and Silver hasn't experienced that with many people, only Blaze — and Shadow stretches his shoulders, pushing blood back through them, and half-turns... before staring ahead and pretending that he hadn't. Silver smiles.

Shadow tries to hide it, "Sonic told me that you retrieved a Chaos Emerald."

"We did," It had been in Holoska, which meant a trip in Tails' newly fixed-up Tornado. Blaze had not been happy about that (she pretends she's fine, but Silver knows that she's a petrified acrophobic). He'd relayed the fear to Sonic, who assured him that they'd fly extremely low. Of course, Silver had needed to pretend that _he_ was the one with the phobia — Blaze is far too prideful to admit a weakness — but the look of pure gratitude on her face had been worth it.

Their rift, from the other day, is healing.

"How many do you need, to return home?"

"We think about two, since the Chaos Emerald needs to be extremely precise in where and when it sends us," Silver's heart grows heavy at the thought. He hasn't been pressing Tails to locate the next one and he's been deterring Blaze from asking. But he knows that he can't keep it up for ever, "We're not rushing to get back, though. Things are... out of sorts, back home."

Shadow nods, firmly, "Sometimes there is a comfort in distractions."

"What's your distraction?"

His muscles tense, but he answers, "Some say I bury myself in my work."

"Do you?"

"That's what I'm told."

"But what do _you_ think?"

"... I enjoy my work. Without it, I would have no purpose."

"Ah. I know the feeling," Silver feels as if his spirit is clinging to Shadow, because this is exactly how he's been feeling! This is exactly what no one else seems to understand! "Lately, I've been feeling like there's something I should be doing, here. There isn't, but I still feel like I'm wasting my time."

"Is this to do with protecting me?"

He cringes. He can't tell if Shadow is amused or bitter, "No! No, it's not. You don't want to be protected. I know that."

"I appreciate the concern, Silver, but I don't need protecting. I manage fine on my own."

"I know. I've kinda seen that, first hand, actually."

They share a smirk, though Shadow falters, before he diverges, "If you feel that you lack a purpose, then perhaps you need to find another distraction."

He shifts forward and, for a ridiculous moment, Silver thinks he's going to kiss him.

Then the sun goes out.

"Hello, boys," The sultry voice lingers, breaking whatever bubble has formed around them. Silver only now remembers that they aren't alone, not with the others being so nearby, "You're both looking very intense."

Rouge moves and places her hands on her hips, forcing Silver to shield his eyes from the sun, as he looks up at her. She's biting her lip in a grin and deviously eyeing them up, as if there's something that she finds amusing, simply because she's the only one who knows that it's there.

Oh no. Does she know? Silver hadn't been restraining himself, in the conversation, because he'd forgotten that any of them could be listening and Shadow's not very astute with matters of the heart. But Rouge is. What if she's worked it out? She'll tell Shadow. He'd said that they were very close, there's no way that she won't tell him—!

"Is there something you want, Rouge?" Shadow squints up at her, innocently, as she merely laughs.

"Way to make me feel welcome, Shadow. No, not exactly — it's Sonic who wants something."

Silver glances downwards, down the slope of the hill, at the others. It seems that the game has digressed, somewhat, as Knuckles currently has Sonic in a headlock, whilst sitting on his back. The blue hedgehog is thashing about and squawking for Shadow: "Get your lazy ass down here! Think of all the things I've done for you! The least you can do is get this maniac off me! _It was just a game, Knuckles!_ "

"I see no need to intervene," Shadow deadpans.

"Fine. But he's going to keep yelling for you. It'll get louder and more annoying and I know how much you _love_ that. Anyway, you need to stop hogging Silver. I'd like some alone time with him."

Shadow gets to his feet, reluctantly, and trudges forward to stand at Rouge's side. She grins up at him, raising one shaped eyebrow, completely unfazed by his unimpressed glare in return.

Turning back to Silver, who's still sitting, Shadow lets a smile flicker on his face, just for a second, before saying, "I enjoyed our small talk more than I anticipated."

Silver pines after his retreating form.

"Hate to see him go, but love to watch him leave, hmm?"

"W-What?" Silver frantically searches Rouge's smirk for any hint as to what she's implying, "What does that mean?"

"Oh, nothing. It's just a thought that I've had about Shadow, a fair bit," She runs her cool gaze over the Ultimate Life Form's figure, confidently brushing the tip of her tongue over her bottom lip. Silver wonders if Shadow can feel the ice spreading across his shoulder blades, his legs, his—

Silver swallows. She's really staring at his ass. There's a small bite of jealousy, but he admits to himself that her stare is justified (whilst keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the ground).

She approvingly purrs, before depositing herself down, scooting closer to Silver's side. Their bodies meet at the shoulders and thighs, "But I'll admit that there are many times when I love to see him go. There's a limit to how many one-word-answers and grunts you can put up with. I'm no saint."

Silver nods, unsure.

Rouge unabashedly looks at him and he can feel her gaze caressing his skin, "Or maybe that's just me. You two certainly looked like you were getting along well. Did he get over himself with the whole 'trust issues' thing?"

"... Were _you_ the one who told him to apologise?" Silver asks, remembering that Shadow had said that his shortcomings had been 'brought to his attention'.

Rouge smirks, "You can thank me later. He just needed some prompting, that's all. I couldn't bear the thought of you being all maudlin and sad, wearing that adorable pout of yours."

Silver laughs, "Thanks."

"You're very welcome. Come on then, tell me your secret. How did you manage to win him over so quickly?"

"I wouldn't say that. He doesn't trust me much."

"Then you clearly don't know Shadow. He doesn't trust anyone. I've lived with the guy for Chaos knows how many years and there's _still_ stuff that I don't know! It's basically impossible for him to fully open up," She taps her lips, as they watch Shadow storming towards the merging of red and blue, moving Knuckles aside and yanking Sonic to his feet, huffily, "But it didn't take much for me to persuade him about you. It felt like he was already leaning towards it. He's taken a shine to you."

"Really?" _Don't. Don't get your hopes up. That still doesn't mean he_ likes _you_.

"Shadow doesn't have deep conversations with every random that he meets on the street, honey. He certainly doesn't ask questions about them."

That information slams into Silver like an accelerating train, "He's asked about me?"

"You better believe it. I'm almost sick of hearing your name," She teasingly nudges her elbow against his ribs, "Almost."

But the grey hedgehog is still too busy trying to process what he's learnt, "What did he ask?"

"Normal stuff. What you're doing here, how long you might stay for, where you're from. He asked what you were like, when I met you. And he asked what I knew about your little girlfriend, after he met her."

"She's not my—"

"Oh, don't worry, I know now. She just set the record straight for me," She toys with the hem of her long glove, pulling it taut against her skin and wriggling her fingers. It has the same effect as rolling her sleeves up, ready to get to work, "There's something about you that he likes."

"Do you know what it is?"

She bears her teeth in a grin, "Specifically? Not a clue. But if I find out, you'll be the first to know."

"Thank you."

" _Silver!_ Oh, please, come quick!"

He leaps to his feet, dashing down the slope towards Amy's frantic gesturing. He hears Blaze yell something like "What is it?" but he's too busy thinking that this is it, Mephiles has finally made a move and Silver is finally going to end this...

He skids to Amy's side, as Rouge lands and beats her wings beside him, "Amy? What's wrong?"

She grabs his arm, tightly, "Silver, you need to stop them! Please use your powers! Knuckles said something stupid and then Shadow started to get irritated, so of course Sonic had to go and mock him, but I still don't think Shadow's punch was very fair..."

Silver looks down at the three warriors and inwardly sighs, as Knuckles takes the opportunity to noogie Sonic's head, even with Shadow restraining his left arm behind his back. Sonic, sprawled on the ground beneath them, clings to Shadow's legs and yells about _stupid crazed echidnas._

Rouge meets Shadow's eye, who silently looks at her, as if to say ' _I told you this would happen'._

"Why am I not surprised?" She grins.

* * *

Tails manages to settle the disagreement by suggesting that they sit down and eat.

"Told ya they'd be good," Sonic smugly raises an eyebrow, talking around a mouthful of cupcake, "You like 'em, Silver?"

Enthusiastically, Silver nods, as the chocolate lingers on his tongue, "They're amazing!"

Knuckles rolls his eyes, swallowing, "Okay, so maybe they're kinda good. Maybe."

"Pffft! C'mon! Best thing you've ever tasted or what?" Sonic waggles his eyebrows.

"Hm."

"Don't deny it!" The blue hedgehog swiftly leans forward, snatching up another one from the hamper, before smoothly twisting his hips and calling over his shoulder, "Yo! Shadow! Whaddya think?"

Shadow turns, just in time, to casually reach out and catch the flying cupcake. He glances down at Sonic, who's sprawled across the grass and looking hopeful, before examining the dessert, "Must I?"

"Since you're clearly so excited..." Sonic scowls, "It's not poisoned, you know!"

Tails laughs, " _I_ like your cupcakes, Sonic!"

"Bro. Don't patronize me."

Silver watches as Shadow takes a tentative bite. He chews, considers, and then swallows. The black and red hedgehog draws himself up, "You put the frosting on while the cake was warm. You should wait, or it will melt. But overall it is satisfactory."

"Coming from Shadow, that's basically five stars," Sonic scrutinizes the remains of his cupcake, poking at the frosting, "How'd you know about me putting it on too early? Since when are you into baking?"

Shadow and Silver share a look. A smile is spreading on Silver's face and he is shocked to find that Shadow is also trying to hide one.

"I'm not. I just heard it from Amy."

"Speaking of, something you wanna tell us, Sonic?" Knuckles leans in, trying to prompt him, but Sonic just mirrors his movement, with a confused frown, "Dammit, Sonic! I'm talking about Amy!"

Sonic quickly glances around, in case the pink hedgehog is in earshot. She's not: the girls have taken Blaze further into Green Hill Zone, where they'd arranged to have their picnic, to see the great waterfall, "What about Amy?"

"You kissed her!"

"Whoa," Sonic holds up his palms, rocking backwards, "Wait a minute. That makes it sound like we made out. We _didn't_ make out."

"Might as well have!"

Tails lightly smacks the back of his hand against Knuckles' arm, "What Knuckles is trying to say is that we were surprised, that's all. How long have you guys been together?"

"We're _not_ together! Look, Tails, you know I would've told you, if we were. I wouldn't keep something like that secret!"

Shadow huffs his disagreement. He's been standing separately from where they're sitting, but he's slowly and unconsciously drawing closer, interested in the conversation.

"It's true!" Sonic protests, "Okay, so maybe I wouldn't tell everyone, but I'd tell Tails!"

Knuckles raises his hand, "Just... how did this even happen?"

"Nothing happened. I've just been thinking, lately, that maybe I'm doing the wrong thing by brushing her off. I mean, I've never actually given her a chance, so maybe I'm missing out on something. I don't know," He's growing red, "I can at least try."

Tails and Knuckles share a glance. Silver interprets it as _this is what we've been telling you for years_ , because that's what he's gathered, over the last week.

"Never thought I'd hear that coming outta your mouth..."

Sonic returns Knuckles' smirk, "Me neither."

Tails shifts on the blanket and pats Sonic's shoulder, reassuringly, "You're doing a really good thing, Sonic."

"Don't get me wrong, we're not hooking up. I still have no freakin' idea if I see her like that. I'm just... testing the waters. Spending time with her, as friends. That's it."

"Even so, it's still good of you."

Knuckles grins, "You sure 'testing the waters' isn't gonna freak you out? Like it did when we suggested going to Seaside Hill, instead of here?"

"Haha, aquaphobia jokes! Knux, you're SO original!"

Silver can feel Shadow's eyes on him. He stubbornly doesn't turn.

"Right," Sonic flings himself onto his back, crossing his arms behind his head and looking up at the sky, "Let's analyse someone else's relationship. How about, hmm, Knuckie and Rouge?"

Knuckles punches Sonic in the stomach.

"Super uncool," The blue hedgehog moans, after he's recovered from being winded. He rubs his belly, sourly, "Don't be so sensitive. It just proves that I'm right."

Shadow's eyes fall back to the others.

"You're not. As if I'd go for someone like that! She's so—!"

"Choose your words carefully," Shadow warns, in a growl. Knuckles is briefly shocked into silence and Silver admires the Ultimate Life Form's fierce loyalty, even when Rouge isn't around to hear it.

"Sorry," Knuckles gruffly says, "She's your best friend. But she's so infuriating! Does she get off on making me feel awkward?!"

"Newsflash! You're infuriating too. And, anyway, _I_ get off on making you feel awkward," Sonic snickers to himself, like he's already got this sussed out, "But you don't get this het up about _me_."

"That's because you don't _flirt_ with me. You annoy everyone. But she only does it to me!"

"Nope. She does it to Shadow, too. And she's got her eye on Silver. They're your competition."

"They're not my competition, Sonic," Knuckles glares up at Shadow, who blankly looks at him, before turning to Silver, "You're _not_ my competition. It's different."

"Okay," Silver relents, amused.

But Sonic isn't letting him get away with it that easily, "It's really not. Rouge flirts with everyone. You're the one who's getting all possessive."

"... I can never tell when she's serious," Knuckles admits.

"Aw, is Knuckles scared by someone flirting with him?" After watching Knuckles bristle, in the corner of his eyes, Sonic softens, "Dude, if you just want a simple date, then _ask_."

"I never said I wanted a date!"

"Your face told me."

Grumbling, the echidna clambers to his feet and mutters something about getting some water out of Amy's hamper, as he stomps over to the tree.

While he's gone, Sonic speedily rolls onto his front, looks up at Shadow and asks, "Does she have a thing for him?"

"It's difficult to tell," Shadow says, "I believe so. But not if he continues to act like this. She will only wait so long."

"Dammit," Sonic chews the inside of his cheek. His eyes are clouded with future plans and schemes.

Tails sighs, noticing it as well, "Sonic. Don't get involved."

"But he's gonna miss his chance!"

"He won't. He'll figure it out in time. But this is something that he needs to do on his own."

"... When did you get so wise, buddy?"

"Heh," Tails glows, "Anyway, if you get involved, then he's got every right to play Cupid in _your_ love life."

"Yep, okay, here's me officially not getting involved. Well, with Knuckles' relationship, at least," Sonic mischievously winks at Tails, who laughs good-naturedly. Then he eyes up Silver and Shadow. Silver burns. Shadow says nothing.

* * *

"Hello, Tails!"

"Hey, Cream!" The fox sits up, having joined Sonic's side for cloud-watching, and greets her with a bright beam. She giggles and then he asks, "How was the waterfall?"

"It was beautiful! Miss Blaze really liked it!" Cream faces Silver, who's politely cross-legged and no longer lazing about in the warmth, like they had all been, moments ago, "She said that you would like it too, Mr Silver! That it was peaceful."

"I'll have to go and see it, one day," He suggests, with an honest smile. It grows when Cream nods, vigorously, in response.

As the rabbit turns back to Tails, Amy throws herself down next to Silver, excitedly gripping his arm. She waits until Shadow has wandered over to Rouge — the black and red hedgehog had been lying close to him and Silver hadn't been able to breathe — and waits again until Blaze has joined Sonic and Knuckles, "Aren't they cute?!"

"Who?"

"Tails and Cream! I knew there was something between them!"

Silver smiles. He's not quite as certain as Amy — they're only saying hello, after all — but he does wonder why she calls him 'Tails' yet insists on adding 'Miss' or 'Mister' for everyone else, "If you say so."

"They'd be so good together!"

"But aren't they just friends?"

"Feelings can develop while you're friends, Silv!" She clasps her hands together. Silver wonders if she's picked up that nickname from Sonic — he doesn't mind, not at all, simply warms at the thought of Amy being so smitten and sweet, "Take me and Sonic, for instance!"

He thinks back to what Sonic had said, about starting off as friends and waiting to see if there was something else, "You're right. You're pretty experienced with this stuff, Amy, you know a lot about it."

"Aww, Silver!" She giggles and rests her head against his shoulder, "I'm so glad you came here. You're so kind, with this stuff, and you're the only person I can really talk to about it. Thank you."

"I like talking to you about it," He honestly does. It makes the swooping tugs in his heart feel normal.

"Have you had any luck with _your_ crush?" She asks, trying to be casual (because she's clearly guessed that he's embarrassed) but there's a hopeful shine in her eyes.

"Well... a little, I suppose," He's still replaying it in his head, wondering how he'd gotten Shadow to open up, when they were alone. Wondering how he'd managed to share an inside joke with him. Wondering how he can do all of it again.

"That's great! Are you thinking about making a move, soon?"

He's shocked into laughing, "N-No way!"

"Huh? Why not?"

"We're not really at that point, yet."

"But you two are so close!"

Right. She thinks he's hung up on Blaze. Who, coincidentally, is currently watching Shadow with a sort-of-concealed glare, "Yeah, but... we're not close in _that_ way."

"Ohh. The friend-zone. I see."

He frowns, trying to recall the meaning of the term. He's pretty sure that he's heard it before, "What's that?"

"The friend-zone? It's when you tell someone that you have a crush on them, but they only see you as a friend. So you're stuck like that, liking them, but just being friends. It's ridiculously hard to get out of."

Well, it's safe to say that he's not there with Shadow, "So you don't want to become friends with someone you like?"

"No, you do," Amy pulls a face, conflicted, as she tries to explain, "If you like someone, then you need to get to know them. But you need to let them know how you feel, before you get _too_ close, see? That's what I've done with Sonic."

"Sweetie, you didn't just let Big Blue know. You let the entire world know."

 _Chaos!_

"Rouge, don't sneak up on people like that!" Amy scolds, rolling her eyes, while Silver recovers from his minor heart attack.

"I'm a spy, Pinkie. It's my job."

"You're not on duty right now. Anyway, this is kind of a _private_ conversation...!"

"Then you shouldn't speak so loudly," Rouge winks and settles down next to them, elbows resting on her crossed legs. Silver looks up: Shadow is in a discussion with Tails about something, "Is this relationship advice that I hear? Who's the topic of conversation?"

"You and Knuckles," Amy sticks out her tongue.

"Of course. Who wouldn't be talking about me?"

Silver notices that she dodges the bullet about Knuckles, but he's also wondering if Rouge might be able to shed some light on his dilemma with Shadow, especially since she'd hinted at it earlier, "How well do you have to know a person before you tell them that you like them?"

She grins, " _Like_ _them?_ Are you kidding me? You are ridiculously adorable."

"... Thank you?"

"It depends on what you want, handsome. If you're just after sex, then you don't even need to know their name," She glances between Amy's light blush and Silver's oddly-calm curiosity, "If you're looking for something long-term, then I guess it's easier to know them quite well."

"Is long-term a bad thing?"

"Depends on what your girl wants. Or your guy."

Rouge and Silver's eyes meet for a single beat.

But Amy rails on, oblivious, "Silver, you don't need to worry about this. Like I said, you and Blaze are incredibly close. And, for what it's worth, I don't think you even need to worry about the friend-zone. She mentioned you _a lot_ , while I was talking to her! She obviously has feelings for you. You just need to throw in some hints."

"Blaze? You're talking about Blaze?" Rouge repeats, carefully watching Silver in disbelief. He glitches in panic.

He doesn't say anything, but prays that Rouge won't dig any further. If she does, he'll have to admit that he's head over heels for someone else and then there will be _questions_.

"Blaze doesn't have feelings for me," He gently tells Amy, vehemently hoping that Rouge will just let it pass and that the pink hedgehog will just see it as denial.

"You should see the way she looks at you!"

"Like a brother," When he's satisfied that Rouge is staying silent, albeit suspiciously, he lets out a genuine snicker, "She can't stand emotional stuff like that. Blaze would never fall for me, not even if the world was ending."

 _A bit ironic, but oh well._

Amy purses her lips, clearly not convinced, but she drops the matter.

The idea quickly passes out of his mind, not taking root, because Amy has a habit of embellishing things, when it comes to romance. Seriously? _Blaze_ having feelings for _him_? Never.

Padded footsteps approach.

"Rouge."

"Why hello, Shadow. What can I do for you?"

Shadow waits until she stretches up, onto her feet, "The Commander sent out a message. We're to report to headquarters, immediately."

"No rest for the wicked," She grins at Silver and Amy, before turning back to him, "Towers can't even let us have one day off, can he?"

"It seems not."

"Then I guess we're leaving."

Silver is looking on, in interest, pondering what they might have been summoned for. Shadow notices and reads it as something else — he determinedly tells Rouge, "Silver wishes to see our microwave, at some point."

"Our microwave?" The bat spins, not bothering to stifle her amusement. She raises an eyebrow at the time traveller, "Why do you want to see that?"

"I-I... It's not important. Forget it..."

"He has never seen one."

There's something cunning in her smile, as she quickly steals a glance at Shadow, "If it's new experiences you're after, Silver, I can do way better than a microwave. How about you come to GUN with us?"

 _Uhh..._

"What?" Shadow sounds just as shocked as Silver feels.

"Why not?" Rouge is staring Shadow down, challengingly, daring him to give a reason, "Tails has been there. Big Blue practically walks in and out whenever he pleases. Even Amy's seen our offices!"

"They're really cool," Amy adds, from the sidelines.

"So, why can't Silver come?" The bat is trying to hold back a smirk, but she's failing.

Shadow manages to glare and look bewildered at the same time, "He can."

Rouge purrs, "Perfect," and then holds her hand out and hauls Silver up, when he takes it, "Ready, Silvie? GUN is waiting."

He glances back, over his shoulder, "I should just let Blaze know where I'm going."

"Go ahead, we'll grab our stuff," The ivory bat slings her arm around Shadow's shoulder and whispers something into his ear — he suddenly straightens and turns, striding off towards the parasols.

"Is he okay—?" Amy asks Rouge, nodding in Shadow's direction, but Silver retreats to where Blaze is sitting, before he can hear the answer.

Blaze is with Cream, on a blanket, watching Tails flutter about as he monitors how far Knuckles can throw a cupcake before Sonic can catch it — (Sonic doesn't seem to mind that his cupcakes are being tossed about. Silver later finds out that _Sonic_ had been the one to suggest the game). Silver chuckles to himself, shaking his head, and approaches.

"Hello, Silver," Blaze greets, getting to her feet. She smiles and Silver is struck by how relaxed she seems.

"Shadow and Rouge are heading off to GUN — they've been called to a mission. They asked if I wanted to go with them," He rubs the back of his head, shyly, and then looks up. Blaze's smile has fallen, "I came to let you know that I'm going."

"Do you know when you'll be back?"

He tries not to wince at the obvious disapproval, "No. Don't wait for me, or anything. I'll head back to the Workshop, as soon as I'm done."

"I see," She nods, contemplatively, looking at the floor. Then Blaze suddenly raises her eyes, "Promise me that you'll stay safe."

Silver relaxes, slightly, "Blaze, I'll be—"

"Promise me. Please."

"... I promise."

"Thank you," She suddenly wraps him up in a hug — which is worryingly unlike her — and clings to him for a while. Then she takes a step back, "Show them what you're made of."

He laughs, "I'll try."

When he returns to Rouge and Shadow, they're waiting for him. He attentively takes a striped parasol from the bat, who hums gratefully and compliments his manners, before he glances at Shadow. The Ultimate Life Form frowns and walks on, determinedly not looking back.


	7. Office Hours

**My brain was telling me "More fluffy fluffy Shadilver bonding pls" and this is what I conjured up, within GUN's headquarters. I hope you like it and are enjoying the story so far!**

 **Thank you very much to:** Failsona, randomcitizen12 **and** Roasted Toast! **You're amazing! And thank you to everyone who is reading!**

 **Replies :**

Failsona - **That is so true! A perfect description of microwaves! Someone should probably tell Silver that, because I think he's idolizing them too much, in this story xD I'm so glad to hear that, thank you! Silver's paranoia is definitely building, even if he's not quite aware of it** — **it's a looming, ominous presence which will rear it's head, soon.**

randomcitizen12 - **Aw, thank you so much! Eek, that makes me ridiculously happy! Aw, I'm so flattered that you're reading this in your spare time from medical studies (I wish you the very best with that, it sounds tough!). Yay, I'm glad that this inspired you for your story, that's awesome! Ahh, I hope you're able to get 'round to writing it, but don't worry, I am the worst when it comes to regularly posting XD Thank you, your review made my day! Yes to Shadilver!**

Roasted Toast - **Thank you so much for your review! Haha, aw, I'm glad the title made you laugh! Whilst I wouldn't say it was Shadilver's 'song', I'm very fond of it and couldn't miss the opportunity to put it in. That's a great idea, Sonic should take some cooking lessons from Amy and Shadow** — **OH, or maybe a couples baking session, Sonic and Amy with Shadow and Silver, and YES they totally watch GBBO XD I'm so happy you liked the fluff** — **ridiculously happy! Shadow certainly didn't make it easy for Silver, haha! Thank you! Ahh, I'm so with you on that** — **I love Unleashed** — **and I had it on the PS3 as well, but I must admit I still haven't gotten to the end xD Rouge is totally my favourite character in this, can you tell? ;D Thank you so so so much!**

 **Disclaimer: All rights belong to the respective owners! **

* * *

**7\. Office Hours**

* * *

"And this—" Rouge triumphantly rotates the handle and shoves, until the door swings open and reveals the room, "—is our office."

Curiously, Silver enters. Shadow is close behind him, silent.

He can tell which desk is Shadow's and which desk is Rouge's. There are only two in the medium-sized office, both with their short side pushed against a wall. Rouge's is strewn with documents and paper-clips, dubiously organised into random piles across the oak surface and around the computer. She's lined up a row of neon highlighters on the edge, with their bright colours nicely breaking the monotony of beige, manila folders, and there's a set of keys in one corner.

Shadow's desk is meticulously bare. No personal items. Not even any half-finished reports. There's just a computer and a glisteningly-clean coffee mug.

Silver slowly spins, taking in all four walls, "It's lovely."

"It's an office, honey, you don't need to lie," Rouge grins, almost feline, and begins to rummage through one of the paper piles, "Any idea of where the mission brief might be, Shadow?"

Shadow is opening one of his desk's drawers, lips poised in an answer, when the office door slides open and footsteps clunk inside.

Silver gawks.

Rouge straightens up and sings, "Omega! Hello, darling. It's been a while — how was Westopolis?"

The robot — it's at least half a foot taller than Silver, _whoa_ — lowers its mechanical claws and processes the question, "It was adequate. I achieved my stated goal. Thank you for inquiring, Rouge."

"Your manners are getting better by the day, you know. Even better than Shadow's, I dare say."

Shadow rolls his eyes, but the gesture is fond.

Omega whirrs, "I have been researching the aspects of etiquette, as you advised. What is it that you are searching for?"

"The mission brief," Shadow answers, still scouring.

"It is located in Commander Towers' office."

Rouge stifles a laugh, before gently guiding Shadow towards the door, "Well then. Off you pop. It's your turn to deal with that bundle of joy. Hurry back so we can get on with it and remember: don't look directly into his laser-glare, or you'll spontaneously combust."

The Ultimate Life Form frowns, studying the others in case there's something that he's missed, and then leaves.

"Now," With a satisfied lift of her shoulders, Rouge falls back into Shadow's chair, kicking her boots up and resting them on the desk. She deliberately crosses them at the ankles, yanks down the hem of her dress, for modesty, and peers up through her eyelashes, "Omega, this is Silver. Shadow's new bestie."

"His best what?"

"No, bestie. Best friend? You really need to update your slang database."

 _He can do that?_ Silver pushes it out of his mind and smiles when Omega turns to him. The robot blinks, slowly, and buzzes, "Should I change my records for Shadow the Hedgehog? Current best friend: Rouge the Bat. Updating to Silver the Hedgehog..."

"Wait, no, you don't need to do that," Silver raises an eyebrow at Rouge, accusingly, "I'm not his best friend."

She muses, then grins, "You're right. I'm still the reigning champion of that title. You're his boy-toy."

"Somehow, I think he'd disagree about that," There's a slight shift in his heartbeat, as Silver rolls his eyes. He knows what _that_ term means, even without Amy's guidance.

"Updating records. Shadow's 'boy-toy': Silver the—"

" _No!_ "

Rouge cracks up, throwing her head back against the chair and letting her ivory hair spill across her shoulders, "Phew! Thanks, boys — I needed that. Tell me, how are the agents, Omega? It's been a couple of days since Shadow and I were last here."

"I do not know. I have only just returned from Westopolis myself."

"Straight from one mission to another?" She winces, "You should've recharged, honey. You can sit this one out, if you want, and take some time to rest. With Silver on the team, we can handle it. I bet the last mission took a lot out of you."

"I will wait until we know the nature of this mission. I am running at a capacity of forty-eight percent. It will suffice. I was not required to revert to attack-mode in Westopolis."

"Just re-building, right?"

"Correct."

"How was that?"

"Energy-consuming. There was a lot of damage. I was also instructed to collect any remaining alien technology, if I located any."

"Alien technology?" Silver repeats, glancing between the two GUN agents, who shift, awkwardly.

Rouge sighs, "Unfortunately. We had an invasion, a few years back, and it basically leveled the entire city. With all the radioactivity and fumes hanging around, GUN have only just gotten 'round to cleaning it up. Omega's been restoring the structure of the buildings, over the past few months, and it should be habitable again, soon."

Silver remembers reading about this, whilst researching Shadow, but jeez, "W-What... how did you get rid of the aliens?"

There's a thrum of silence. Omega rotates his wrists, waiting. Knowing that she's responsible for finishing the story, now that she's started it, Rouge runs a hand through her hair, "Shadow got rid of them."

"All of them? By himself?"

"Basically. It was a difficult time for him, but he came through for us," She sighs again, realising that her answer poses more questions than it answers, "Listen, Silver, it's a very long story and it's not mine to tell. It needs to be Shadow who tells you about it — the whole event brought up some sensitive stuff."

Perhaps this is the cause of the heavy weight which is permanently fixed upon Shadow's shoulders, "Is he okay now?"

"He's Shadow, so he's always got something going on," Privately, she smiles, as if Silver's asked the right question, "But you know what? I think he's the best that he's ever been, right now. He's pulling through."

"I'm glad to hear that. He doesn't seem like the type to be defeated."

Suddenly, the door smashes into the wall and Shadow is storming inside, trying to control his breath.

"What happened?" Instantly, Rouge is on her feet and approaching him. She reaches out to place a hand on his tense shoulder, but it hovers while she thinks better of it. Comfort probably isn't the best thing, right now.

Shadow growls, "Nothing. You need to get a brief about the mission."

"Omega, would you mind going and getting the low-down, for us? It should be pretty quick," Her eyes flicker to the robot, silently pleading, and something loosens in her bones, when he reverses and turns, "Thank you. You're a sweetheart."

"I will return. Presently," Omega reports, utterly casual. It seems that he's encountered this before, like he knows that the only way to placate Shadow is to do as he says and then coax information out of him.

As soon as Omega navigates out of the room, Rouge swings back to face Shadow, intently analysing the glare on his face, "You were fine before you went to Towers."

"The Commander and I disagreed about something," He shakes her off, even though they're not touching, and wanders towards the other side of the office, wearily rubbing a hand over his eyes, "It's fine."

Rouge folds her arms, "What did you disagree about?"

"It does not involve you," Shadow snaps.

"Fine. I'm only trying to help you," The bat presses her lips together, halfway between simmering and boiling. She doesn't seem angry that he won't tell her, only that he won't let her help him, "But you can't go on a mission like this."

"I'm aware. I've been told to stay here. I am forbidden from leaving until I've... calmed down."

She raises her head, apprehensive, and glances at Silver, who doesn't know what to do, "Are you going to be okay with that?"

"I'll be fine," He still hasn't turned around, "I'll train."

"... that sounds like a good idea."

The pause is filled by Omega returning, clunky and careful, as he notices Shadow's distance from Rouge and Silver, who stare back, at a loss, "I have downloaded the mission brief from GUN's system. Are Team Dark and Silver ready to depart?"

Silver jolts back into his state of self-consciousness. Watching Shadow's chained fury had disconnected him — he had separated himself from his mind, merely an observer — but now he's uncomfortably aware that he probably shouldn't be here. This is something deep-seated, purely between Shadow, Rouge and Omega, and he really shouldn't be intruding.

"It's okay! I can head back to Sonic's, don't worry, thank you for bringing—!"

"I'm not going, Omega," Shadow finally faces them, guarded and resigned, "Silver may stay here with me. If he wishes."

As Silver's lips part in astonishment, completely dumb-struck, Rouge rocks back on her heels and softly tilts her head, "Why don't you train together?"

Shadow's crimson eyes flicker to the floor, considering it, and then meet hers, "That sounds logical."

"You never know, you might even have fun," Rouge's tone is testing the waters, nudging to see whether it's okay to return to gentle teasing. Upon seeing Shadow's softening look, she warmly smiles and turns to Silver, "Don't pull any punches. Give him everything you've got."

His heart is hammering in his chest, "Okay."

"Good," Rouge grins, "Don't kill each other while we're gone."

* * *

 _Ngh_.

"You're stronger than you were before."

Silver grits his teeth, straining against Shadow's strength. He's keeping the Ultimate Life Form frozen, mid-punch, using his psychokinesis, but he can feel the pressure building in his temples. _Now_ — he releases the hold — and while Shadow stumbles forward, Silver flies to the other end of the training square.

"Not really," He pants, wondering if Shadow had planned for the room to be empty, "I'm not sure what was wrong with me, last time. I've never had headaches like that. Not that I can remember."

Shadow nods, once, and then strikes. His knuckles glance off Silver's forearm, which he's raised in a block, and the kick is just shy of the grey hedgehog's hip. Amused — and somewhat pleased, it seems — by the challenge, Shadow retreats out of close-range combat and throws his hand out with a yell, "Chaos Spear!"

Silver has just enough time to fling himself back, out of the bolt's range, narrowly avoiding being singed.

He's short for breath. They've been practicing for around an hour, by this point, and even Shadow looks mildly tired.

Straightening up and acknowledging that the fight is a draw, the ebony hedgehog strides towards the edge of the room and swipes two water bottles from the ground. He tosses one to Silver, who darts forward to catch it, and takes a sip from the other. Shadow maintains eye contact with Silver, even as his throat constricts, before he pulls the water away from his lips.

"I suppose you're wondering what the Commander said."

Silver blinks. They haven't discussed it since Rouge and Omega left for their mission, "It's okay. You don't have to tell me."

"I do. It was about you."

"About me?" He squeezes the water-bottle a little tighter, thankful that the lid is safely screwed on, "What did you disagree on... about me?"

Shadow doesn't instantly answer, visibly conflicted, "... He made an unreasonable request of you. I refused on your behalf."

Frowning, Silver tilts his head. He's only wondering what the Commander possibly could've asked of him — _why would GUN want something from me?_ — but his furrowed brow is mistaken for disapproval and Shadow glances downwards.

"Perhaps I shouldn't have done that."

Maybe not, but Silver doesn't mind, "What did he want?"

"He wanted... your permission. Permission to conduct experiments. He wanted to know if your biological structure is different, in the future, and where your powers come from. Your arrival has created rumours."

Those must have come from being associated with Sonic, who seems to attract attention wherever he goes. No one had been obtrusive towards Silver, not at all, but they had evidently seen him travelling with his powers and that had flagged up some questions. It must have gotten back to GUN.

And GUN had then asked Shadow to... persuade Silver to agree to scientific tests? Clearly they believe them to be closer friends than they actually are. And Shadow had refused? On what principle? Because of the experiments or because of Silver?

"You..." Silver's mind is struggling to comprehend the idea, "...You stood up to him? For me?"

Shadow is clearly uncomfortable, but he forces himself to return the gaze, "I experienced something similar. I was created, not born, and they asked the same of me, when I first joined GUN. I relented, somewhat, but I never would have agreed to what they asked of you. And I would not want someone else to be forced into it."

"I'm so sorry that they did that to you," And he is. Deeply sorry. But he's also terrified of how Shadow relented and can't bear to think that the Ultimate Life Form might've agreed to something that he didn't want to do.

Shadow shrugs, "It's not your fault."

He clearly doesn't want to talk about it, so Silver changes his track, "You won't get into trouble for saying no, will you?"

"I was told to calm down. Then I was removed from the mission. Nothing else was threatened, so I don't believe so," Shadow places his bottle down and approaches the middle of the arena, "You are a skilled fighter."

He blushes, "Thanks. You are, too."

"Where did you learn?"

That's a difficult question. Honestly, no where. His 'domestic' past hadn't needed any fighting skills — everything was truly peaceful, just as promised — though he'd roughhoused with Blaze, a bit, as young teens. Instead, his fighting technique had returned with the memories of Solaris; he had remembered how to pin down a minion of Iblis, or how to lift rocks in one hand and cars in the other.

But he can't say that, so he says, "Blaze and I sparred together, when we had the time. But when it comes to my psychokinesis, it's just about practice, really."

"I see. You and Blaze are close, then?"

"Yeah, we are," Silver nods, "She's my best friend, but she's like a sister to me."

"There is nothing more between you?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm very sure," This question has been asked a lot. First Amy, then Rouge and now Shadow. Does it mean something? But Silver just smiles, snickering at the memory of him asking Shadow this, regarding Rouge, "I think we've had this conversation already."

"I think you might be right," Shadow smirks in return, "I'm glad we understand each other."

Hesitantly, Silver nods. That feels significant, in some way, but he's not sure why. He doesn't try to decipher it, "So, where did _you_ learn to fight?"

"You have not been told?"

He falters, "... Told what?"

"About my past," Shadow frowns, "Sonic has not told you? Nor Rouge?"

"Rouge said something about an alien invasion. But she said that it was your story to tell," And Sonic had nervously laughed, before saying that the story was so complicated that he'd probably get most of it wrong — "besides, Shadow will probably kill me for telling it!"

"That is a different story. A more recent one," Shadow glares down at his hover-skates, faintly trailing one through the sand on the floor, before looking up again, "But my fighting comes from being the Ultimate Life Form, the perfect creature designed by Professor Gerald Robotnik, on the Space Colony ARK. I was built to be a warrior and was trained until GUN perceived me to be a threat. They shut down the project."

Shadow's tone suddenly goes absolutely flat, as he speaks, as if he's disconnecting himself from what he's saying. Something is wrong, but Silver isn't in a place where he can ask what it is.

"How many years did you spend up there?"

"... I don't remember. Five?"

Silver raises his eyebrows, "Wow. That's a long time. Did you get lonely up there, at all?"

"I wasn't alone," He slowly says, "I had Maria."

Silver knows that the conversation has ground to a halt. He can tell by the way Shadow straightens his back, clenches his fists and silently challenges him to ask a question — any question at all — about this Maria, whoever she is.

"It's getting late," Glancing at the clock on the wall, Shadow blinks, "I imagine you're wanting to return to Sonic's place."

"I probably should get back," But now there's this awkward tension, like they've had an argument, and he doesn't want to bolt at the first hurdle, "But I could stay until Rouge and Omega return," But Shadow might want him to leave, "Or I can go. Do you want me to go?"

Shadow idly considers him, "Not particularly."

That sort of sounds like _stay_ , so that's what he does.

* * *

It's nearly eleven and they're in the office.

"You truly believe it will last?"

"Why not? You heard what Sonic said," Silver arranges himself on Rouge's desk chair — it's way more comfortable than it looks — which he's wheeled in front of Shadow's desk, at the ebony hedgehog's suggestion. There are two cups of coffee sitting between them. It's the third time that Shadow's refilled them, using the plugged-in kettle on the counter on the far wall, "He's giving it a go. That's as good a sign as any."

"Perhaps."

Coyly, Silver tilts his head and smiles, "Or...?"

"Perhaps his guilt got the better of him," Shadow takes a breath, when he notices Silver's suggestive look of _go on_ , "Sonic tends to be impulsive, especially around Amy. It would not surprise me if, due to guilt, he felt obliged to make her happy by dating her."

"Maybe, but I really hope it does happen for them. Amy deserves to be happy."

"She does."

Silver beams again at Shadow's instantaneous agreement, "And if it made him happy, I think it'd be nice for Sonic to have someone to slow down for."

"I suppose."

"You pretend to hate him, but I know better," He laughs at Shadow's raised eyebrow, "You like him, secretly."

"You're wrong. He's infuriating," Amusement glints in his eyes, as he insists, "I can't stand him."

"Alright," Silver grins, "Since we're talking about it, do you think there's anything going on between Cream and Tails?"

"Not that I'm aware of. Has Rouge said something?"

"No, it was Amy, actually. Does Rouge match-make too, then?"

"When she feels the need. She has attempted it for Omega and I."

The thought ignites residual jealousy, which he's probably been harbouring for a while, "Oh? Who did she partner you up with?"

"Amy. And, on occasion, herself."

"Ah," Silver sits back, slightly mollified, and his lips quirk up in a victorious smirk, "So I wasn't entirely off the mark about you two, then?"

Shadow responds with a small smile, like he knows something that Silver doesn't, "Rouge has flirtatious tendencies. Nothing is meant by it, so my answer still holds true," He gazes at Silver, intently, "There is no need to worry that Rouge and I will become more, I assure you."

Silver panics, but rather than stumbling and stuttering, he throws back, "Yeah, well, you don't need to worry about Blaze and I, either."

"Don't I?"

"No, but everyone seems to be saying otherwise, for some reason." He's not quite sure why he mentioned that.

Shadow lightly nods, before asking in an infuriatingly-measured voice, "Why would I be worrying about that?"

"You wouldn't. Just like I wouldn't be worrying about you and Rouge," _Which you totally just baited me about, whether it was intentional or not, so... two can play at that game._

Reclining back in his chair, the Ultimate Life Form folds his arms across his chest and narrows his eyes, scrutinizing Silver, "I don't quite understand you."

"... What don't you understand?"

— _Bang!_ "Crap, that door has no friction, it's ridiculou—oh, good to see that you've been using your time productively, Shadow," Utterly unaware of Silver sighing at her bad timing, Rouge flounces into the room and dumps a wrist-communicator down on her desk, "You better have that kettle boiled and ready, after the evening we've just had."

Omega innocuously moves to stand beside Silver's chair.

Shadow rises to his feet and Silver follows suit. The time traveller offers the chair to Rouge, but she shakes her head in thanks and thrusts her coffee mug into Shadow's hand, "You know how I like it. Want anything Omega?"

"I am satisfactory."

( _What would Omega even have_ , Silver wonders, _Motor-Oil-coffee? Is that a thing?_ )

"How was the mission?" Shadow asks, with his back turned as he prepares Rouge's drink.

"A waste of everyone's time. The Sergeant was just about to call it a night — but then, of course, a truck-load of guys showed up with backup, for some stupid reason. Who brings three jeeps full of gang members to a drug collection point?"

"The gang leader that GUN has been hunting for three months?"

Rouge raises a very unimpressed eyebrow at Shadow, "Omega and I took the leader down, easy enough, though he put up a fight, the son of a..." She sighs and gratefully smiles at the ebony hedgehog, who hands her a steaming cup of coffee, "He said some unkind things about you, Shadow."

"That does not surprise me," Shadow sits again, unaffected by that information, "I have been picking off his leaders over the last month."

"True. Don't worry, we took extra pride in arresting him and telling him you said hi," The ivory bat's gaze runs over Silver and she grins, "What have you boys been doing, while we were gone? It feels pretty cosy in here."

Silver blinks at Shadow, who waits for him to answer, "... Oh, we trained, earlier. Like you suggested."

"I see. Did you kick Shadow's ass?"

"No one kicks my ass," Shadow informs her.

"Ahhh, a close call, then? Interesting! No one's managed that, other than Big Blue," Rouge perches on one corner of her desk, delicately sipping, "I'll have to watch you boys play rough, one day."

After a tentative nod, Silver glances at the clock, "I better head back to Sonic's. I didn't realise how late it had gotten."

"Time flies when you're having fun."

"Silver," Hearing Shadow's rumbling address, the grey hedgehog turns to face him and stiffens as an object flies towards him. Against the odds, Silver catches it in one hand and glances down. It's a GUN wrist-communicator, like the one that Rouge had been wearing, like the one that Shadow always wears.

Silver peers at the three agents, "Why...?"

"Consider yourself an honourary member of Team Dark," Rouge says, resting one hand on her hips and smirking, "This way, we can contact you."

"I...I don't know what to say..."

"Say nothing," Shadow grunts, "If you need to be off quickly."

"Right, I... thank you. You don't know much I... how much it..."

With a knowing gleam in her eye, Rouge sidles up to him and flings an arm around his shoulder, "Aw, sweetie. Go on, get going, before you break your curfew. We know you love us."

He goes to say _I do_ , before he leaves, but he thinks better of it, because even Silver's not that obvious.

* * *

The light from the landing seeps into Silver's darkened room, as he enters, before he switches the overhead light on and sinks down on top of his bed. It's Sonic and Tails' second guest room, with Blaze sleeping in the other one, but Silver's honestly starting to get attached to it. Maybe it's the way he can open the circular window, in the morning, and lean out to the hear the chirping of birds in Mystic Ruins. Or maybe it's something else entirely.

He hears someone climb the stairs, close to his room, and traipse into the bathroom. It's either Sonic or Tails, who'd been sitting in the living room when Silver had returned from GUN headquarters. They'd smiled and asked how it went ("Did you have the pleasure of meeting Towers?... She said something similar? Ah, that's 'cause Rouge ain't a fan of him either. He kinda sucks. Waaaay too uptight.") and told him that Blaze was staying over at Amy's, for the night, along with Cream.

"You sure you don't want to stay over too, Sonic?" Tails had joked.

Sonic wrestled him to the floor, in response.

As Silver lies on his back in his room, one arm cushioning the crown of his head and tucked amidst his quills, he wonders if Blaze and he could actually settle into this domesticity. They could try to apply for jobs at GUN, they could find a small house to rent together, they could settle down and be safe and—

BEEP.

Silver sits up, frowning. He looks down at his wrist, where the GUN communicator has an envelope symbol aggressively flashing on the screen. He taps it. A message pops up:

 **AGENT Shadow:** _Test message. Attached are the codes for messaging Agents Rouge and Omega. I enjoyed sparring with you and would be open to it again._

Silver swoons, feeling the pit of his stomach tense up in glee. He spends several minutes drafting and editing and re-editing his reply:

 _\- I'd like that :)_

(Sonic had taught him that, the smiley face. Silver is very impressed by the creativity of texting in this time.)

Shadow responds fairly quickly, causing Silver's good mood to swell.

 **AGENT Shadow:** _What is :) ?_

 **AGENT Shadow:** _Do not worry. Rouge told me. Good._

Silver smiles. Twice.

 _\- :)_

 **AGENT Shadow:** _What does :* mean?_

 _\- Did Rouge tell you to sent that?_

 **AGENT Shadow:** _Yes. I presume it's not good?_

 _\- It's not bad, it's a kiss, I think_

 **AGENT Shadow:** _I see. That does not surprise me._

 _\- Me neither, it seems like something Rouge would send_

 **AGENT Shadow:** _:)_

They don't talk again, that night. But Silver lies awake for the next hour, thinking about that stupid smiley face and trying to figure out what it means.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading! Please review and let me know what you thought of it!**


	8. Long Time No See

**Hello again! My deepest apologies for the disappearing act over the last few months! A lot has been going on, but I've really missed this story and I'm so glad to be back! Things are going to start heating up! (Good heat or bad heat though? ;}) Shout-out to** Careless Whispers **who really helped with motivating me to get past some blockages that I had with this chapter! You rock!**

 **Limitless thank yous to:** Failsona, cheru, Random Dudette, Aura Creed, animelover5641, Mysterious Anon, Roasted Toast, Pbbbt, Guest, pikaruchi **and** jWatson-Holmes **!** **I adored reading your comments!**

 **Replies**

Failsona - **Gaaaaah, that makes me so happy to hear that! *squee-noises* (Apologies to your cat! xD) Thank YOU and I will endeavour to try and make you "aww" again! But don't entiiiiiiirely let go of your paranoia prediction...~!**

cheru - **Oh wow, really?! That's incredible, thank you ever so much! I'm squealing at the thought of my writing being gushed about! I hope a chapter falls on your birthday again! I love that you're enjoying my portrayal of Shadow - that's a perfect way to describe it! Gah, I'm so happy about people's reactions to the texting! Thank you and I really hope you enjoy this chapter!**

Random Dudette - **You honestly have no idea how ridiculously ecstatic I got when I read that! Aww, thank you** - **well, there'll be some ebbing and flowing of years to your lifespan, over these next few chapters, but then there'll be a steady increase ;D**

Aura Creed - **Thank you ever so much, that is astoundingly awesome to hear! I'm so flattered that you like my portrayal of Shadow! Aw, that's so sweet** - **then I shall do my best to update as often as I can! It'll only be a decade, this time, rather than a century! xD**

animelover5641 - **Awww, thank you ever so much! I'm so pleased that Shadow's progression is noticeable! Haha, weeeell, Silver is canonically younger! And ohhh yes, Rouge certainly has her suspicions (and is fully pushing for her OTP to become reality). THANK YOU! I shall definitely have to include some more de-thawing of Shadow in the texts!**

Mysterious Anon - **Gosh, that is so lovely, thank you! I very much hope you enjoy this chapter and sorry for the delay!**

Roasted Toast - **N'aw, thank you for checking! We're finally starting to see a glimpse of the Shadilver part now! Eee, I couldn't stop smiling when I read that - I want aaaall the teeth to fall out! Thank you, and don't quite let go of that weariness yet! Silver must feel a bit of that cringe too, perhaps, coming from 200 years in the future, haha! It makes me so happy to hear that you love Rouge as much as I do! And there'll be plenty more references to that game in this story - I absolutely agree with you, though I only watched Game Grumps play it, and I adore Who I Am by Magna-Fi!**

Pbbbt - **Please, ramble away! I basically dance whenever I read comments, they make me that happy! I'm so glad the adorableness has physical effects - I adore that, when it happens to me while I read, and it's so amazing when someone feels like that about my work! Thank you so much, your review was so heart-warming!**

Guest - **9 times out of 10, my stories have not been updated xD But hey, when they are, it's a nice surprise! Awww, thank you! Yessss, feelings - I'm so happy to hear that, it's basically the reason why I write! Yay, thank you - I get such a kick out of writing Rouge's dialogue. N'aww, Team Dark, the old softies ;D**

pikaruchi - **Eee, thank you so much! :DD**

jWatson-Holmes - **Thank you, I'm so glad you thought so! I'll definitely have to keep the texting as a reoccurring motif ;D**

* * *

 **8\. Long Time No See**

* * *

Silver knows that he's dreaming.

He knows because his body doesn't feel right. He's not corporeal; it's the way his stomach lurches, when he moves, that tips him off. He's experienced this sensation countless times before, but this dream is different, because there's no Iblis, no flames, no boiling flesh.

But, suddenly, he can feel heat at his lips. Gorgeous, overwhelming heat that sparks and slips through his organs, falling further and further downwards, until it falls a little _too_ pleasurably downwards.

Silver thrusts up and his eyes snap open. His sudden movement has pulled the warmth away from his lips. Thunderstruck, Silver stares into crimson eyes for a few brief seconds, before Shadow hooks the tips of his fingers under Silver's chin and joins their lips together again.

Ohhh.

Everything becomes sharply clear and he doesn't know what to focus on first. He just manages to register that they're standing in Green Hill Zone, so he's not surprised when he sinks against the solid support of a tree, behind him. Instead, he's distracted by the hot presence of hands running over his hips and the seductive glide of tongue across the seam of his mouth.

Then Shadow breaks away and Silver sways forward, off-balance, struggling to keep up. He hears an amused huff before he's pulled into another kiss and, this time, Silver is functioning well enough to throw an arm around Shadow's neck.

His thoughts are a trembling, jumbled mess.

When they slowly and naturally pull apart for air, Silver lets out a shaky laugh of speechless amazement. He wonders if he should say something — something brilliantly witty and suave — but Shadow is determined to divert his concentration, mouthing at the curve of his neck, sucking, biting.

"Shadow..." Silver gasps, reaching for a firmer grip on the other's shoulder blades.

The breathless moan in response is muffled, but distinct, "Silv..."

Silver feels a knot tighten up in his stomach.

 _It's not him._

It's not him. Shadow is regimented and controlled — he has never called him 'Silv' before, not once. 'Silv' is an affectionate name from Sonic, or Amy, or sometimes even Blaze, when she's feeling particularly tranquil. Rouge has even taken a shine to calling him 'Silvie'. But Shadow always calls him Silver, always, and has never once strayed from it.

It's not him. But he wants it to be, so badly, that the truth makes his heart ache.

"Stop..." Silver grasps at Shadow's shoulders, easing him off, regretfully.

The hedgehog feigns confusion, tilting his head slightly left, but it suddenly seems terribly unconvincing, "Silver? What's wrong?"

"You're... You're not..."

Kisses are being pressed into the bolt of his jaw and Silver's thoughts are scattered and _oh why can't it be him_ —

"Stop," Clutching onto a fleeting moment of strength, he shoves at the impostor, torn and upset. Hands are still roaming across his shoulder blades, arms trapping him in an embrace, lips not letting up, "I said stop!"

A hand clamps around his face and snaps his neck sideways, smashing Silver's cheek into the bark of the tree. With staggered breaths, the time traveller can only see blue sky and green pastures, as he realises that he's utterly powerless, mouth smothered by Not-Shadow's glove.

"You're an odd creature," It observes. Silver's blood turns to ice because he knows that voice, "I must admit, I find myself surprised."

Tears spring to his eyes and Silver furiously blinks them away, fighting for air, "Mephiles."

"You remember me. How fortunate. No one else does," Wet pressure suddenly slides along his exposed jaw-line. Even when Mephiles' tongue has left his face, Silver feels dirty. The sensation buries itself under his skin.

"Why are you here?" His voice rises in panic.

"I'm finishing what I started," Mephiles chuckles, deep and chilling, "Why are _you_ here?"

 **"Silver."**

His head rings with a new, distant voice and his concentration is smashed into bits, "I-I don't..."

Mephiles squeezes tighter, painfully crushing Silver's skull, "I will tear him to pieces and rip him limb from limb. I will kill everyone you love, but especially him."

 **"Silver?"**

"I won't let you—"

"You are no match for me, Silver. In fact, I thank you — without you, I would not be here. Thank you for travelling to this time and disrupting the time-stream. It is through you that I am reborn."

 **"Silver!"**

Silver wakes with a start and finds himself in his bed, clinging to Sonic's arm, frantically grasping for reality.

"Whoa, hey, it's alright. You're fine, Silver, you're fine. Breathe," Sonic bends down to match his eye-level, intently peering at him and letting his big, emerald eyes reassure him. His understanding makes Silver wonder if Sonic knows a thing or two about horrible nightmares, "You good? Feel okay now?"

"Y-Yes, I think so," He retracts his hands and settles them on the bed, shamed and embarrassed, "I'm sorry. Sometimes, I... well..."

Sonic shakes his head, freely, allowing Silver to take the easy route out and let his explanation dwindle off, "Don't worry, it's nothing I haven't seen before. Everyone has bad dreams. I just came up to tell you that breakfast is nearly ready. Blaze is already downstairs and Tails is making pancakes. Trust me, you don't wanna miss it."

"No, I'm sure I don't," He says, in a painfully quiet voice.

"I'll meetcha downstairs, Silv. Take your time."

 _Silv_. Silver's heart is tossed up and frozen in the air, for a moment, before the slow drip drip drip of molten dread drops into his stomach. He tries to ignore it, "Sonic?"

The blue hedgehog turns at the door, unperturbed, and pricks his ears up in interest. Silver can feel a fierce spark of gratitude running through him, "Yeah?"

"Thank you."

Sonic smiles, sadly, "Bad dreams really do happen to everyone, Silver."

* * *

He comes down for breakfast and finds out that Sonic is right: Tails' pancakes are criminally good. Soft and padded and just _good_.

It would be nice if he could eat them.

Silver can't bear the thought of consuming anything. He wants to drizzle his food with maple syrup (like Sonic is currently doing, though the blue hedgehog is drowning his) but his stomach is twisted into fearful knots. Instead, he sips his tea and guiltily stares at his plate.

Mephiles is all he can think of.

Despite Blaze's certainty, Silver can't shake the worry that he really is back, especially after this dream. After searching the internet and GUN's database for any sightings, Silver had blissfully pushed the thought of Mephiles' return out of his mind: he hadn't planned what to do if he was wrong. Now that complacency may be coming back to bite him.

 _Simple_ , he tries to comfort himself, as he runs a finger across the rim of his mug, _I'll track him down and defeat him. Make sure he's gone for good, this time._

Simple.

"Aren't you hungry?" Blaze asks, patting her lips with a napkin, as she stares at him, worriedly frowning.

Silver blinks and sits up, "I just feel a bit light-headed, that's all."

"Maybe you're coming down with something," Tilting his head to one side, Tails looks at him like he's already performing a medical examination in his mind, just by looking at Silver. The time traveller squirms.

His empty mug is suddenly whisked away by a flash of blue. Silver looks at the other two and their scraped-clean plates. Now Tails' glass has vanished, along with the maple syrup pot, as Sonic clears things away at lightning speed.

Blaze is unfazed by the nearby whirlwind, "Or perhaps you've spent too long in the sun."

"I'll be fine, really," Silver reaffirms, confidently, growing tired of having to tell everyone that he's fine, _really_. He wishes he were better at lying.

Tails nods, "Don't exert yourself, okay? Or do anything too strenuous. Are you guys taking it easy today?"

The grey hedgehog sinks back into his chair, thankful that the kitsune has somewhat removed the spotlight from him. Blaze straightens her already-impeccably-poised spine, courtesy of a lifetime of royal training, "I believe so. Unless Silver has any follow-up missions with GUN."

He meets her steady gaze, "We didn't end up going on a mission. Well, Rouge and Omega did. I stayed with Shadow, at their office."

"What did you do?"

"Nothing, really," He replies, nonchalantly, before deciding to divert her, "How was your night with Amy and Cream?"

The suspicion, at the mention of Shadow, seeps out of her shoulders and is quickly replaced with a sweet smile, "It was nice. We had lots of things to talk about and partook in something called 'Girls Night'." Blaze lowers her head and toys with the ends of her hair, casually. Squinting, Silver realises that she's changed her make-up: her eye-shadow has been swapped from soft lavender to snow-white and she's now wearing eyeliner, with little wings flicking outwards. It looks good, like she's spent a lot of time making sure it was painstakingly perfect.

Her lips are glossy, too, which is strange because he thought she hated lipstick and stuff like that.

Maybe she's trying to catch someone's attention.

"The future doesn't have 'Girls Nights'?" Tails asks, eyes bugging, "I bet Amy was devastated!"

"I think she comforted herself by educating me on the matter. I'm still unclear on its purpose, but we had fun," Blaze turns back to Silver, cupping her cheek with her hand, and it frames her make-up nicely.

BEEP.

His GUN communicator speaks up, from where it's lovingly fastened to his wrist.

"What is that?" Blaze stares at it, cautiously, leaning forward to take a closer look. Tails cranes his neck in interest, but settles down when he catches sight of it, obviously having seen it before on Shadow and Rouge's wrists.

Silver blinks at the glitter on Blaze's eyelids — glitter! — and stammers, before coming to his senses.

"Rouge gave it to me. It lets me talk to her," _And Shadow_ , he triumphantly thinks, even though there's been radio silence between them since yesterday. No good morning messages or anything like that. Silver supposes he could take the first plunge and send a message, but that would require a level of confidence that he doesn't have.

A bubble of joy engulfs his heart, as he wonders if this message might be from Shadow.

"Those things are pretty high-tech, you know. State-of-the-art GUN communication devices. Would you mind if I took a look at it, Silver, at some point, so I can work out how they get such wide-ranging signals?" Tails stands and scrapes his chair back, grinning, "Shadow and Rouge are fiercely secretive with theirs."

Silver laughs, "Of course, Tails, you can look at it whenever you like."

"Thanks! I'm just going to take these last few plates to Sonic. He's been worryingly quiet in the kitchen for a while now."

As the two-tailed fox saunters out of the room, Silver glances down at his new message.

 **AGENT Rouge:** _A handsome little gift is about to arrive. Enjoy x_

His excitement ebbs away and he starts tapping out a response:

- _What do you m_

There's a loud banging on the front door.

"Isn't it a little early for visitors?" Blaze ponders, but she's swiftly on her feet and sweeping towards the door, perfectly poised, calling out to Sonic and Tails to stay there, she'll answer it. _She'll make a great queen_ , Silver thinks, out of the blue.

He hears the door creak open, before he stretches up and stands. From the doorway, Blaze defiantly clears her throat.

"It's you. Hello."

Silver wonders how someone can say 'hello' so obstinately, but then the visitor responds.

"Blaze. Is Sonic here?"

"Yes, he's in the kitchen," Silver supposes that she must have opened the door further and let them in, because there's footfalls of shoes against the carpet and a surprised intake of air.

"Hello, Silver."

Silver turns and melts, "Hi, Shadow."

It dawns on him that, although his dream had initially been shamefully pleasurable, it did absolutely no justice to the real Shadow. Silver can see the life in his movements now, despite the safe distance between them, and there are loud thoughts dancing behind Shadow's eyes, even though they're unreadable. He's so alive, even while he stands there with the stillness of a statue.

"I did not anticipate seeing you," Shadow says, as if that explains something.

Out of the corner of his eye, Silver watches Blaze fold her arms, "Neither did I. Uh, not so soon, anyway. Is everything okay?"

Shadow stares at him a little longer, then ducks his head and grunts, "Not if we do nothing. I need to speak to Sonic."

Of course, Silver should've known he didn't come just to say hello to him, "Right. I'll go and grab him, he's just—"

"I'll go," Blaze interrupts. She strides out of the room before Silver can even speak. Shadow frowns after her, too. He's clearly noticed the awkward tension. Which is good, because at least he's not oblivious to it and it's not just Silver going insane (which is a large possibility, right now).

"So, you're talking to Sonic then," Silver berates himself for sounding so incredibly stupid — obviously he's talking to Sonic — but he doesn't know what else to say and, well, he's said it now. Trying to lighten the situation, he smiles, "What happened to hating him?"

Shadow smirks, "Circumstance has decided that I have to put my own feelings aside. The world depends on it."

"The world?"

"The stakes are high," He is terrifyingly nonchalant, still smirking.

"Clearly. No pressure, I'm sure."

"I've handled worse," Shadow holds his stare and Silver thinks _Yes, yes you have_ , "Do not worry. I will ensure that the world stays intact for you."

Silver's mouth runs dry. He's probably trying to pick something romantic out of something innocuously innocent, but that sounded a little bit like _I'll save the world for you_. For you. Why for him?

His heart is booming.

"Shadster!" Sonic greets, as he saunters into the room. Following behind, Blaze and Tails whisper lowly to each other, lightly frowning, "Two visits in one month? 'Must be Christmas! You never willingly visit our humble abode."

Shadow shifts to face the blue hedgehog's knowing grin, "Hello, Faker. I have something to discuss with you, as a matter of urgency."

"Go ahead."

"Very well," The Ultimate Life Form straightens, after glancing at Silver, Blaze and Tails, clearly a little trepidatious about discussing sensitive mission details, "We've had reports of suspicious activity in Soleanna."

Silver is certain that all the colour has drained from his face.

He looks at Blaze. She's pale, too.

Sonic cocks his head, "Soleanna? Never heard of it. You think Eggman might be up to no good?"

"It seems likely. GUN aren't marking it as a priority, as there has been no aggression as of yet, but I thought it would be pertinent to let you know."

"Good call. If we can stop Eggman before his plans get to a universe-destroying-level, that'd make everything a whole lot easier," Setting his shoulders back and standing firmly, Sonic gestures at Tails and grows serious, "Buddy, can you send a message to Knuckles? He'll wanna be in on this."

Tails nods determinedly, "You bet. What about Amy and Cream, though? We promised that they could tag along on the next mission."

"We did? Oh-kaaaay..." Sonic chews his lip, before addressing Shadow, "How bad is it looking? Would they be in danger if they came?"

"Whatever the plan is, it appears to be in its early stages. I see no harm in them assisting."

"Alright. Message them too," Sonic calls back to Tails, even as the kitsune is dashing off into his Workshop, letting the door swing on its hinge with the force of his shove. Wearing an affectionate smile for his adoptive brother, the blue hedgehog raises an eyebrow at Shadow, "So. Are you coming along for the ride? Or have GUN got you slaving away for their agenda?"

Shadow frowns, "I don't have a current mission, if that's what you mean. So, yes, I suppose I should assist you and ensure that there is some protocol."

"Pfft, whatever, protocol-schmotocol."

"The world can't afford another Perfect-Chaos-mishap. I've read the file. _Billions_ in damages, Faker."

"It's all money, money, money with governments, isn't it? Sure, just brush over the fact that I _saved their lives_ and blame me for collateral damages, that sounds fair," Light-heartedly rolling his eyes, Sonic crosses his arms, "Silver, Blaze. Would you guys mind lending us a hand? 'Could use all the help we can get."

"Of course, Sonic," Blaze offers, stepping forward and maintaining composure, "We'd be glad to, for all the help you've given us."

"Awesome. Meet at the Tornado in ten? Shads, you making your own way there?"

"I'll inform Rouge and meet you at Soleanna. The warehouse district, on the Eastern Side."

The two of them split: one through the Workshop door, the other through the front door, practically mirror images. As soon as they're alone, Blaze grasps Silver's wrist and leans closer, nervous, "It's just a coincidence."

"Blaze, you know it isn't! Something just happens to be going on in Soleanna, right after Mephiles turns up?" He decides not to mention his dream. The memory of it still makes him blush, "It's happening again."

"No, it isn't. This really could just be Doctor Eggman."

"It's Mephiles!"

"What on the Sol Dimension would Mephiles be doing at a warehouse district?"

"I have no idea. But we weren't cautious before and look what happened! I'm not making the same mistake again. If it is Mephiles, we're going to be ready."

Blaze falls silent, but her eyes are mournful and Silver really hopes he's wrong.

* * *

"Am I the only one who feels like we're third-wheeling those two?"

Knuckles smirks and shakes his head, "Nah. Though, actually, we're..." He points at all of them, one at a time — Rouge, himself, Tails, Cream, Amy, Blaze, Silver and Shadow — and mouths the numbers on his lips, before grinning back at Rouge, "Eight-wheeling."

"I think the term 'third-wheeling' includes the couple, Knuckles. So we're really ten-wheeling," Tails corrects, as Sonic backflips over the crate behind them, which is nearly three times their height, and narrowly avoids the laser beam from Eggman's mech-suit.

"Sonic and Eggman aren't a couple," Amy pouts, "We need to go and help him!"

"He didn't want help, remember," Silver can't help but raise an eyebrow at Shadow's dry tone and he's rewarded with a curious look from the Ultimate Life Form, in return.

Amy ignores the exchange altogether and whacks out her Piko-Piko hammer, "Well, too bad! I'm going to help him! If we work together, we'll bring that stupid Egghead down in no time! Who's with me?"

Her rousing speech inspires Tails, Cream and a grudging Knuckles. Blaze, Rouge and Shadow still maintain that Sonic had told them to leave it to him, so they should stand clear. Amy turns to Silver with pleading eyes and he just can't say no, "Okay, let's go in and help," He relents.

Rouge smiles at him, affectionately, like it's the most adorable thing she's ever seen. He asks what she's smiling at and she laughs, "Nothing, sweetie. Just... well, Amy is a master of puppy-dog eyes and you always look so soft and vulnerable. The two of you interacting is practically nausea-inducing."

"Thanks?" He chuckles, though privately reminds himself that she would never call him soft and vulnerable, if she'd seen him slamming Sonic into a building, over and over again, until Amy had intervened.

Silver catches Shadow staring at him. He's shocked to find that his look is laced with fondness, too, but it disappears, instantly.

Sonic has succeeded in damaging most of Eggman's mech-suit, but Knuckles and Amy are now really doing a number on him, pummelling punches and swings into the corky legs of the machine. Flying overhead are Tails and Cream, using an air-based attack as they kick at the head. Sonic sticks to the torso, where Eggman's located at the control panel, behind a glass orb, and there are sparks erupting.

Silver pauses for a moment, wondering if there's even any room for his input, but he catches sight of more crates and smiles to himself.

"Ouuuuuugh!" Eggman cries, over the loudspeaker, as one of the crates — which are littered across the warehouse district — smashes into the suit's back and sends shudders all the way through.

Sonic meets Silver's eyes and yells something that sounds vaguely like "Right on!", accompanied by an upwards punch.

Silver throws another crate. And another. One more. And now they're nearly there; it looks like Eggman is about to topple over.

With practiced ease, Silver picks up one last box, using his psychokinesis, knowing that this will be the final blow. He watches as he lifts it, so that he can keep a steady hand.

He stops. It hovers in the air and shakes.

Mephiles is standing there. Where the crate had been sitting.

 _It's time._

Silver sharply inhales and slams the crate back into the ground, with all his strength. It crashes to the floor and Mephiles is lost in splintering wood and a rising dust cloud.

"Silver!" Blaze screams, but he's already taking off, throwing himself towards the wreckage. He needs to find the body, make sure that it's dead.

There's nothing there but debris. When Silver looks up, frantically searching, he sees a dark figure disappear into one of the warehouses, under the shutter door. He follows, until the confused cries of his friends behind him fade into nothing.

Silver ducks under the door and stumbles to his full height. The warehouse is empty.

Except for a black hedgehog with blue streaks.

"It is you," Silver whispers, voice surprisingly steady.

"Am I really such a sight for sore eyes, Silver the Hedgehog?" Mephiles is still missing a mouth, but he's still smiling, just like in the alleyway, "I suppose resurrection can be disorientating."

"How...?"

"Death has no hold over me. One mistake with the Chaos Emeralds — _your_ mistake, Silver — and my energy was able to manifest itself, once more. Tell me, was your trip to the past worth it? Are you willing to pay the price?"

"It's not possible—!"

"You should know by now that nothing is impossible. You concentrated your thoughts into returning to this time, when you performed Chaos Control, and you inevitably thought of me. I emerged from those thoughts. How lovely to know I'm on your mind," Mephiles shambles closer, dragging his feet, like he's half-dead. Silver involuntarily takes a step back, "I wonder what else is there."

Silver's throat tightens, "Don't."

"It was me, Silver..." Shuffle, shuffle.

"Get away from me—!"

Shuffle, shuffle, "...fuelling your dirty thoughts..."

 _"Get the fuck away from me!"_

Mephiles just laughs.

But, for whatever reason, he suddenly pauses and lets his eyes settle on something behind Silver, "I'm starting to believe that fate can be cruel, rather than ironic."

"I take it that you are Mephiles."

Silver whips around and gawps at Shadow, who steps closer, glaring at the black and blue hedgehog. When the time traveller doesn't lower his stare, Shadow shifts and returns his gaze, "Silver. Are you hurt?"

"No, I... what are you doing here, you can't be here, you can't—"

"I hear that you've been causing Silver some trouble," Shadow raises his chin, disdainfully looking down at Mephiles with hate in his eyes. Mephiles just hunches over, angling his head upwards in a contorted position.

Looking at them, they couldn't be more different. But this malevolent thing is the spitting image of Shadow. Silver doesn't understand how that can be possible: Shadow makes his stomach whirl in a fluttering mess and yet nothing turns his stomach quite like Mephiles.

"Shadow..." Mephiles tests the name out on his tongue, before chuckling, "Is this really the way to greet an old friend?"

"We have never met before."

"Is that so?" Mephiles' body is suddenly wracked with convulsive laughter and he sweeps backwards, "How perfectly fitting. Then enough with the pleasantries — it's time to end this."

Shadow clenches his fists, "You can certainly try."

"Sonic did not fare so well when he came against me."

"Sonic—?"

"Don't you dare, Mephiles," Silver cuts Shadow off, striding forward and placing himself between the two of them. Mephiles' head turns with a sickening crack, "I'm going to be the one to face you. If you kill anyone, it'll be me."

He hears the clatter of Shadow's hover-skates, "Silver, what are you doing?"

"How rousing. It is unfortunate that fighting you, Silver, is like squashing a fly," A black tendril of smoke suddenly shoots out from Mephiles' outstretched hands and knocks Silver aside, smacking him into the wall and letting his head bounce against brick, "Hardly worth the effort."

Silver groans, fading in and out of reality, for a moment. He hears a brief exchange between Shadow and Mephiles — no, don't Shadow! — and then wonders if the sudden multiplications of Mephiles are hallucinations. He blinks and freezes when he realises that they're not: the warehouse is now filled with hundreds of mouth-less figures.

"Last chance," Shadow growls, trying to hide the fact that he's been thrown off guard by this.

One of the Mephiles bows, "Farewell, Shadow the Hedgehog."

Swarms of them descend on Shadow, like trails of ants, and Silver strains his eyes to see the red amidst blue and black. Shadow's low grunts are indistinguishable from the low, cackling laughter, as it seems to grow louder and louder and suffocate him. The copies flock together on all sides, but the Ultimate Life Form — somehow, with unimaginable and incomprehensible speed — contorts and spins like a dervish, destroying them, one by one. The force of the wind, generated by his punches and kicks, is loud and insistent.

Silver staggers to his feet and glances about, formulating his own plan of attack. Then he spies a Mephiles, separated from the rest, watching Shadow with interest.

 _That's the real Mephiles. If I can just get to him and_ —

Before Silver can even raise a hand, something lashes out and pins him to the ground. The brief dregs of his psychokinesis drain away, as darkness and stars weave in and out of his vision. Silver clutches his head and tenses when he sees Mephiles looming above him.

"You fool. You fail to realise how insignificant you are. No matter what pathetic action you take, it will always lead to your demise. I feel your powers, Silver, and they pale in significance compared to mine. I know you for what you are and Shadow would be truly mad to see anything in you. You are nothing, a mere collection of organs, scurrying around as if it's important. You are a waste of—"

Shadow flies forward and smashes Mephiles in the face.

Knocked back and more than a little disgruntled, Mephiles growls but doesn't get the chance to retaliate. Repetitive blows are beaten into his body, faster than the eye can see, and suddenly they seem to be having a damaging effect. Shadow continues to push him back, working up a sweat as his fists pound against Mephiles' torso and his skates crack bones.

Silver groans, trying to sit up, and watches Shadow deliver one, final roundhouse kick to Mephiles' head, smacking him across the room and letting him roll away.

His eyelids flutter. There's blood in his mouth.

"Hey," Shadow kneels at his side, shaking his shoulder, "Silver. Stay conscious."

"No..." Silver slurs around the liquid in his mouth, as he reaches towards the other side of the warehouse, where Mephiles' form is bubbling and dissipating into smoke. Fruitlessly, Silver makes a grab at him with his psychokinesis, but it slips away from him and the effort saps the remainder of his energy.

"Silver?"

He passes out.

* * *

"You are making a habit of this."

Silver grunts at the searing living room lights and smothers his face into the couch's puffiness. His head is agonizing. Throbbing pain screams at him. So much for taking it easy, like Tails suggested. Silver drags out a half-mumble, "It wasn't my intention..."

His spine grumbles as he forces himself upright and presses a hand against his temple, with bones feeling like they weigh a thousand tonnes. There's ice wrapped in a towel, a water bottle and painkillers on Sonic's coffee table, in front of him. They all look woefully inviting.

As he swallows the pills with water and presses the ice-towel against his skin, Silver breaths. The agony subsides, somewhat. Only then is he able to focus on the person sitting next to him.

"Did Mephiles...?" Silver trails off, knowing what the answer is going to be.

Shadow glares down at his own lap, "He escaped. I was unable to apprehend him."

"You didn't need to," Silver turns his head, slowly, testing the screaming joints in his neck. He runs his eyes over Shadow's inward posture — drawn-in arms, closed thighs, tight lips — and he aches with the fear that Shadow is blaming himself, "It was my responsibility. And he probably would have killed me, if you hadn't saved me."

Shadow looks Silver in the eye. His jaw is clenched, "Who is he?"

Silver can feel his resolve breaking, but he clings to it, torturously, "Someone dangerous."

"Clearly!" He's angry. Shadow is suddenly like a loaded spring, furious and tense, close to pinging open, "He was going to kill you. You were ready to _be_ killed!"

"I have a duty—"

"I'm not talking about dying for your damn duty! I understand that completely. I do not understand your secrecy about it! It serves no purpose!"

"I can't risk revealing everything, Shadow. Bad things — awful things — have happened and...it's safer if people don't know," He's so close to spilling, to letting the truth gush out, but he can't, he just can't, "I have to do this myself."

Exhaling, Shadow glances in the opposite direction, chewing it over. He's not happy about this, Silver can tell, but maybe he knows what it's like to be consumed by devotion and duty, in order to protect people. Silver's mind wanders to the thought of that Maria girl.

"Mephiles is strong. You will not win with your current strength," Shadow faces him and his posture holds the same gruffness as his tone, "I will train you."

"Shadow, you don't—"

"This is not an offer. It's a compromise."

Silver smiles and then winces, tentatively running the tip of his tongue over his split lip.

Gold eyes flicker upwards and widen, as crimson track the movement of Silver's tongue. Shadow's eyes linger and his stare is loaded. He must know that he's been caught, because he smoothly meets Silver's gaze and waits, as if silently asking _what now?_

It would be so easily to inch closer, to tilt his head upwards, to get lost in kissing.

But Silver waits too long, paralyzed by fear and doubt, and Shadow returns to staring at his lap.

"They have returned to Soleanna. To deal with the aftermath of the Doctor and see if Mephiles left anything behind," Shadow fixes his sight on the opposite wall, as he talks, and Silver blinks because oh, yes, he's just noticed that the rest of the gang aren't here, "I doubt they'll find anything."

Silver nods, "And you stayed?"

"Rouge insisted."

"Ah."

Shadow shifts, "Blaze wanted to stay, too."

"I hate worrying her like this. She deserves better," Silver winces — his right temple has gone numb from the cold. He transfers the ice over to his left side, "I just want to protect her."

"You should focus on protecting yourself," Shadow sounds oddly soft, even though the comment is meant to be snarky.

Silver's own voice instinctively mimics the gentleness, "How can I think about myself when there are people who need me?"

He doesn't answer.

Shadow abruptly stands and strides off, disappearing through the open door, into Tails' workshop, leaving Silver feeling somewhat bereft. Soon enough, he returns with a thick, tartan blanket folded in his hands.

He shakes it out and lets it billow in the air, before pausing. Silver curls up, slowly, against the couch's armrest and Shadow places the fabric over him.

"Tails insisted you get some sleep," He explains, taking a step back, "It will help."

Fatigue is hanging onto Silver's limbs and he can feel the heavy drooping of his eyelids. But panic grips his thoughts and he suddenly whips his head round, looking for Mephiles, hiding in the shadows, waiting to strike.

Shadow steps closer, grabbing Silver's attention, "He will not return. I will keep watch."

How Shadow is able to read him so easily, Silver doesn't know, but Chaos, he's thankful for it. Comforted by this brief moment of peace, he sinks against the cushions and closes his eyes.

Silver smothers his lips against the blanket. He can't risk them betraying him by sleepily whispering something crazy like "I love you."

* * *

 **Thank you so much for reading and please leave a review, letting me know what you thought! Preview: next chapter is Halloween party-time at Amy's! :D**


	9. Dressin' up for You

**I am SO excited for the next couple of chapters** — **they contain the fluffy scenes which sparked the inspiration for this story!** — **and I'm really pleased with how this chapter turned out, as I agonized over several decisions about it! It's Halloween, baby (even though this is being posted in August, but shhh let's pretend)! ;D**

 **Replies**

 **Thank you ever so much to:** tsuki-shining, IslandoftheMidnightSun, cheru, RC12, Failsona, jWatson-Holmes, Guest **and** Speeshulartz **! All of your reviews were so lovely and encouraging** — **they really made my day, thank you :'3**

tsuki-shining - **Gaahh, thank you so much! :') I'm so flattered and happy that you like my interpretation of Silver, especially that he feels real! Mephiles is certainly a spanner in the works who will cause some trouble for their relationship ;) Thank you~! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

IslandoftheMidnightSun - **Thank you very much! I really wanted to make Shadow's change feel realistic and natural** — **hence we're nine chapters in and they're _still_ dancing around each other, ha ha ** — **so I'm so happy that you're liking that! Mephiles will definitely be a troublesome addition for them, with his mind games and manipulation. This chapter touches upon their training, but the next one will actually show one of their sessions! ;D**

cheru - ***squeals* Oh wow, that's so sweet, thank you! :'D AWW! THANK YOU! I'm very glad about that, because their chemistry is very important to me! Oh heck yeah, having Shadow bash Mephiles in the face was so satisfying, haha! xD Thank you ever so much** — **the portrayal of the rest of the gang was also something that I wanted to get right, because whilst Silver and Shadow are the main characters, the others really do have important roles to play. Eee, yay! I hope you like this chapter just as much!**

RC12 - **Awww, I'm so glad you did too! :'3 Thank you very much for understanding. That is so kind, thank you! Hahaha, my apologies, I love pulling the rug out from underneath people! ;D Mephiles has finally returned to wreak havoc! Ooh, yes, definitely keep the tarot card reading in your mind! Gah, it makes me very happy to hear that! :D**

Failsona - **Oooooh, an interesting theory! That is very true** — **Mephiles is certainly taking a particular interest in Silver and very much enjoys tormenting him! HAHAHA, that really cracked me up, I am so using the phrase "white hog ass" at some point X'D Mmm, you could be onto something, perhaps there's some unrequited love not only from Blaze but Mephiles too! Dayum, Silver is quite sought after, haha! Thank you so much for your review** — **it really made me smile!**

jWatson-Holmes - **Hahaha, Tails is nothing if not factually accurate! ;D It was quite a steamy dreamy for Silver, wasn't it? It will be getting just as steamy (and probably more so) later on, but I'll put warnings at the start of those chapters, just to be safe! I haven't absolutely decided if I'll be including an M scene** — **perhaps I'll add it additionally, once the story has ended** — **so don't worry, it won't surpass the current rating yet :)**

Guest - **AHHHHHHHH I'M SO GLAD YOU FEEL THAT WAY! Hahaha, don't worry, I'll keep fueling your Shadilver addiction ;3 That is so amazing to hear, I'm so glad! Aw, life is pretty good at the moment, thank you! Ooooh, I'll be curious to see whether your prediction about the tarot card is correct! Ah, I'm glad you mentioned Blaze because my heart breaks for her so much in this story** — **I have such a soft spot for victims of unrequited love. Eee, yay, thank you! Haha, have no fear, I will definitely be exploring the other ships alongside Shadilver; I think you'll enjoy this chapter, then ;)**

Speeshulartz - **I have replied to your review over PM, as you know ;D It's time for some Halloween costumes! And once again thank you so much for your amazing fanart** — **the link is posted at the bottom of this chapter, so people can definitely see it!**

* * *

 **9\. Dressin' up for You**

* * *

 **AGENT Shadow:** _You are shopping with Rouge now, correct?_

Silver smiles down at the communicator, dreamily. Whenever he sees the name 'AGENT Shadow' flash up on the screen, he can't help but bite his lip in a grin and hold back a pleasurable shiver. Sometimes, there are long silences between their messages, but there is always a reply — without fail — and Silver thinks he's starting to become a little addicted to that BEEP sound.

Most of the time, the messages are just arrangements for their training schedule. Shadow has been true to his word: every morning at seven, while the sun is still low in the sky, the two of them meet in a particular clearing in Mystic Ruins and spend an hour training together, before Shadow clocks in at GUN HQ for nine. In the first few sessions, he'd gotten Silver back into shape, using a couple of GUN's exercise regimes — the grey hedgehog's initial lack of fitness had been shameful, compared to Shadow's honed athleticism. But after many exhaustive, gruelling mornings, Silver is fitter than he has ever been before and is well on his way to matching the Ultimate Life Form.

Silver is looking forward to when they move onto fighting techniques. Shadow has already gotten an idea of the potential of his psychokinesis, first-hand, but there's still room for improvement and Silver needs to gain some experience of hand-to-hand combat. Running up to each session, Shadow often sends a message detailing what they'll be doing, so that Silver knows what to prepare for.

They don't usually talk about other things, either when training or over the communicators. But sometimes Shadow might ask about the on-going search for Mephiles, as he blocks Silver's punches, or Silver will send a jokey message about something new he learned that day, and he'll ask if it's a different-time-stream-thing or a Sonic-is-messing-with-him-thing.

(A lot of the time, Shadow doesn't actually know which one it is.)

But lately, the casual need for them to hear what the other has to say — about practically anything — has increased, for both Silver and Shadow.

Silver taps out his response.

- _Yeah. They're trying on clothes now. I'm waiting outside, heh ^.^"_

(The sweat-drop-face is another thing he's learnt from Sonic. The blue hedgehog had laughed and asked "Just who're you talking to so much that you need all these emojis, anyway?" Silver had stuttered a pathetic excuse and fled the room.)

 **AGENT Shadow:** _They?_

 _\- Blaze is here too_

The next reply takes a little longer.

 **AGENT Shadow:** _I see. Are you all looking for costumes for Amy's party?_

Amy's Halloween party is a well-time, welcomed distraction for all of the gang, not just Silver. Eggman's latest attack and Silver's run-in with Mephiles has put everyone on edge: Tails gives Silver and Blaze daily updates on any unusual energy signals picked up by his satellites, in the hope of locating Mephiles, but so far everything has been silent. Sonic is adamant that Eggman currently has a bigger scheme in the works. Knuckles says the Master Emerald has been distant and cold over the telepathic link. Team Dark are under increasing pressure from the Commander to destroy the growing drug syndicate in Central City, despite the lack of leads. All of them are edging closer to a mental implosion.

With everyone being so stressed and scattered about, Amy decided that a relaxing little get-together is exactly what everyone needs.

She's probably right.

Silver glances up at the changing room curtains, looking for any swishing of fabric or clacking of coat-hangers that might suggest that either Rouge or Blaze will soon be emerging. It's quiet and still, so he goes back to typing.

\- _Blaze and I didn't know we needed to dress up_ — _Halloween isn't really a thing in the future. Rouge is helping us to come up with ideas_

 **AGENT Shadow:** _Have you decided what you're dressing up as?_

- _No. Have you got a costume?_

 **AGENT Shadow:** _Yes. It was also Rouge's suggestion. I'm not sure about it: it's a bit brash._

Brash? Silver wonders what he means by that.

\- _What are you going as?_

 **AGENT Shadow:** _I can't say._

\- _C'mon, tell me_

 **AGENT Shadow:** _I am sworn to secrecy._

 _\- Says who_

 **AGENT Shadow:** _Rouge_.

 **AGENT Shadow:** _She's very serious about these things._

 _\- You're really not going to tell me? :(_

"Seriously? I swear, Silver, you're worse than Shadow with that thing. His eyes are always glued to the screen, whether it's waiting for updates and orders from the Commander, or looking to see if he's got any new messages from you. If he develops one more suspicious behaviour, I'm going to have to stage a 'Let's-Talk-About-Our-Feelings' intervention. And those things aren't pretty."

Silver snaps his head up and drops his hands into his lap, fruitlessly pretending that he wasn't waiting for another message to appear on his wrist. Rouge is standing before him, with a hand lazily poised on her hip and a knowing smirk curving on her lips.

"What do you mean suspicious behaviour?" He asks.

"This is Shadow we're talking about. Him talking is suspicious," She shakes her hair out behind her head and spins in place, revealing the back of her outfit to him and tossing her head over her shoulder, "But there are more important matters to deal with. What do you think of this dress? Sexy, tarty or dull?"

Silver taps his finger against his lip, as she poses in different angles. The cherry-red rocker dress is mid-thigh length and fits closely to her body, as it reaches the waist. There's only one shoulder, leaving one arm entirely bare up to her chest, and the other sleeve has slashes all the way along it. The dress is emblazoned with a black cross in the centre, sharp and bold. Rouge looks really good. If Silver weren't completely hung up on Shadow, he'd find it very attractive.

"What are you going as, again?"

She sighs, "A vampire. C'mon, I need your full attention on this."

Silver hums as he ponders, watching the hem swish about her legs, "It's not tarty. It's sexy, but...I don't know. I don't think of vampires when I look at it."

Rouge nods and disappointedly plucks at the fabric, "I was thinking the same thing. Shame, it's really quite nice. I'll have to look at the top, instead."

Then she disappears back behind the curtain.

Silver runs a hand through his quills and sinks back into the changing room chair. He doesn't mind this, clothes shopping — despite the doom that Sonic and Knuckles had predicted he would be subjected to — but he thinks that the excitement of it is passing over his head. It's clothes. Nice clothes, but still clothes. Not much to be excited about, really.

Rouge and Amy would vehemently disagree.

"Silver?"

He looks up.

"Wow."

Blaze blushes and quickly looks away, trying to hide the rosy hue of her cheeks. She looks stunning: her dress is short-sleeved and made of velvet, with the skirt ending above her knees and flaring out into ruffles and see-through fabric. The black lace vibrantly stands out against the indigo. Attached to the dress and trailing from her hips is a long, train of material, which Blaze lifts with both hands, to avoid tripping over as she steps forward. She's slightly taller than usual: her feet are encased in high, rounded purple heels.

Rouge saunters out and briefly admires herself in the mirror, before catching sight of Blaze and grinning, "Damn. That is the dress for you, Honey. You look gorgeous — all we need is a crown and you're all set to be a Halloween queen."

Blaze smooths down the dress at her chest and glances at Silver, "What do you think?"

"Blaze, you...you're..." He grins. She looks so beautiful. Whoever she's going all out for is one lucky guy, "It's jaw-dropping."

He's complimented her like this before — because she always looks good, especially when she dresses up — but usually she rolls her eyes and groans and fondly tells him to shut up. But now she's not doing any of those things; she's staring directly at him and beaming, "Thank you."

"You two are disgustingly adorable best friends. In all the time I've known him, Shadow has only ever said that I look 'polished'," Rouge bemoans, but she's smiling all the same.

Silver grins back at her and pointedly admires the new top. Coincidentally, it's also made of velvet, but it's jet-black and long sleeved — the sleeves droop down, billowing out from her wrists, in a gothic style. The top itself is quite low-cut, revealing a lot of cleavage, but a criss-crossing thread of string ties the neck-line together and stands out against Rouge's skin.

"You look a lot better than polished," He tells her.

"Down, boy," She winks, "You're such a charmer; thank you. But don't get too settled in that chair — as soon as Blaze and I change and pay for these, we're searching for your costume next. I know exactly what you should be," Rouge dramatically strides back into the cubicle.

Covering her mouth, Blaze quietly starts to laugh, "Prepare yourself. It sounds like you're about to be transformed."

"Lucky me."

She snickers and disappears behind the curtain, nervously playing with her hands.

BEEP.

Silver blinks and looks down at the latest message. Briefly confused, he scrolls back through the previous ones to see the flow of the conversation: _Rouge.; She's very serious about these things.; You're really not going to tell me? :(_

*NEW MESSAGE*

 **AGENT Shadow:** _;)_

* * *

A few hours later, all dolled up and ready to party, Silver and Blaze are standing on Amy's doorstep in silence.

"I know I saw you in your costume earlier, when you tried it on...But it— hm. I— You look really good."

He glances over at her, trying to read her expression in the darkness of the evening. Blaze is carefully adjusting her crown into a comfortable position on her head; it's constructed from long, windy twigs, pointing upwards to create the appearance of spikes. He stares, wondering where that comment came from, but she's determinedly not looking at him.

"Really? Thank you," Silver has to admit that he doesn't look all that different than usual, but he appreciates the compliment all the same. A pair of white, fluffy wings are strapped to his back, with the tips of the feathers stretching down the entire length of his spine. A headband sits between his quills and his ears, keeping upright a wire which holds a metal, golden halo above his head.

He's an angel.

It was Rouge's idea. He actually kinda likes it. Just wishes it wasn't so ironic.

"Really. You're very handsome, Silver," Blaze is always serious, but never _this_ kind of serious. She's thankfully stopped toying with the crown, but her back is uncomfortably tense and the awkwardness is transferring into Silver.

He decides to lighten the mood, somewhat, "A bit different to when we were kids then, huh?"

"Not particularly. I've always thought you were handsome."

Silver's breath is sucked away. Gears clunk and grind in his mind. What does—?

"Hey, guys! Wow! You both look amazing!"

They snap their heads upwards towards Amy and cling to the merciful distraction that she brings, as she warmly gestures for them to come in. Silver steps into the hallway and glances around: it looks noticeably different to when he was last here. The dainty, floral wallpaper fades away in the low light and the walls are transformed by giant sparkly cobwebs and pumpkin string lights. It's suitably spooky.

"Thank you, Amy. You do too — I really like your dress," Blaze compliments, prompting Silver to turn around and soak in Amy's attire.

It's clear that Blaze's newly-found make-up skills have been largely influenced by Amy — Silver recognises the similar flicks in their eyeliner. However, Amy's is accompanied by thick strokes of deep purple eyeshadow, making her eyes look much bigger than usual. Her teeth glow brightly against black lipstick. A charcoal dress hugs her petite figure, but it trails along the ground and hides her feet, almost as if she's floating. Silver squints at Amy's unraveling sleeves: there's a cobweb pattern in the fabric.

"Thanks! Everyone looks so good in their costumes! Head on into the living room and take a look — we're still waiting on Team Dark to arrive. I'll just be in the kitchen, if you need me. I need to grab some apples!"

Apples?

He shares a bemused look with Blaze, before trekking into the living room.

"Yo, Silver, Blaze!" Sonic raises his hand in greeting, as soon as he spots them. Knuckles, who's standing next to him, turns as well, "You made it! Took ya long enough!"

"Careful, Sonic. That sounds like you're challenging us to a race," Blaze smiles, wryly, and takes a sip from the plastic cup that she's collected from the table. Silver is standing close enough to receive a faint waft of it: it smells like peaches.

Then he steps forward and bumps Sonic's proffered fist, "You and Tails have done an incredible job of helping Amy to set up. The place looks great!"

"Thanks, dude!" Bashfully, Sonic crosses his arms behind his head and grins. He and Tails had left the Workshop in the late afternoon — a couple of hours before the Halloween party — to assist in decorating Amy's house. Neither of them had been wearing their outfits when they left, though, so Silver and Blaze had spent the walk over to Amy's wondering what the blue hedgehog and twin-tailed fox would be coming as. Sonic gestures to himself, "Say, wanna take a guess at who I am?"

"Um." Silver sweats. He honestly has no idea.

"I'll give you a free pass with this one, 'cause you guys haven't met Metal Sonic," Sonic winks, tipping his cardboard cut-out helmet forward, teasingly. The helmet is cubic-shaped and bright, metallic blue, fitting rather closely to Sonic's head. There's a matching box attached to his torso and he's wearing robotic gloves, with long, spindly steel fingers that are a little unnerving.

"Metal Sonic?" Blaze repeats.

"Long story short: the evil robotic version of me, created by Egghead. It tried to take over the world and I kicked its butt, with the gang. But Knuckles still had no clue what my costume was! Unbelievable!"

The echidna lets out a bark of laughter, "That's because you don't act a thing like Metal. He's the strong-and-silent-type. You really aren't."

"Metal can get pretty chatty when he's banging on about being the _one true Sonic_."

"Don't worry, Blue. You're definitely the _one true Sonic_ — no one can match your idiocy," The Guardian of the Master Emerald takes a swig from the beer bottle that he's holding. Knuckles' outfit is a little bit more identifiable than Sonic's: the long, brown leather overcoat and matching Stetson give off an explorer vibe, but Silver is still too out-dated (or is it in-dated?) to know what Knuckles is meant to be.

"Okay, Indiana Jones."

"Van Helsing, Sonic! I'm clearly Van Helsing!"

"Maybe I woulda guessed that if you _acted more like him_."

Tails and Cream venture over from the other side of the room and the fox's shoulders shake with quiet, stifled laughter, "He's got you there, Knuckles." Tails delicately fixes the position of his wig, which has slightly moved out of position. It's wild and electric-white and fuzzy and sticks upwards rather than outwards. He's wearing a long, adorably-hanging-over-the-length-of-his-wrists pristine labcoat and a pair of bottle-thick, round black glasses. Silver feels relieved: he knows this one. Tails is dressed as a mad scientist.

"Mr Silver, I really like your outfit!" Cream hops from one foot to the other — in time with the music, Silver belatedly notices, as he suddenly becomes aware of the low thudding bass — and admires his wings, reaching to brush her fingers against the tips of his feathers, "You're so pretty as an angel!"

Silver laughs, "Thank you, Cream. But you're the pretty one — you have wings too and they're much more impressive than mine!"

The rabbit giggles and absent-mindedly strokes her own clipped-on wings. They're much pointier and glittery than Silver's, what with their pink fabric and cotton-candy fluff. Her dress is of a similar style: sparkles and sequins shine at the top, as it poofs out into reams of bubblegum netting below her waist. Cream is clutching a light-up fairy wand in her left hand.

"Angels and fairies are equally impressive!" She declares, glancing up and down between both of their outfits.

The time traveller smiles.

"—I'm telling ya, Tails waaaaay outdoes Egghead, if you compare their tech. He's gonna make history with that brain of his! I bet everything I have that some of the tech you and Silver use in the future has been created by Tails."

The two of them turn back to the discussion between Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Blaze.

Tails nudges Sonic's hip, lightly, "Firstly, everything you have includes the Workshop — which we both jointly own — so you're betting my house on this, which is not cool. Secondly, whilst I really appreciate the encouragement, I think you're overselling my abilities, Sonic. I just tinker with stuff for a hobby."

"Dude, your tinkering has saved the world countless times! Knux, remember how he stopped Eggman from detonating that missile, back in the whole Chaos thing? Don't sell yourself short, Tails — you're one of a kind! S'why you've got your tails; they make you even more unique!"

Tails tries to cover his growing smile, by lowering his head. But Silver catches a glimpse of the look in his eyes, of the pride and the relief and the gratitude, towards Sonic. This isn't the first time that Sonic has said something like this. This isn't the first time that Tails has needed to hear it.

"You two have a remarkably strong bond, despite not being brothers by blood," Blaze observes. Their interaction has clearly warmed her heart.

Tails nods, "I can't imagine my life without Sonic."

The blue hedgehog looks down at him and beams, "Me neither. But, uh, other way 'round. Duh."

"And the moment is ruined," Knuckles jokes, but he's wearing a fond smile too.

The doorbell suddenly rings and Silver hears the pad of Amy's shoes in the hallway, before she yells, "Team Dark is here, guys!" There's a beat of stillness and then the living room door swings open even wider.

"Hello, everyone," Rouge greets.

Silver instantly notices the heels. Or rather, _The Heels_. Blood-red and glistening, they rhythmically tap against the floor as Rouge moves — she has impeccable balance in them, walking with practiced ease. They must be at least five inches tall. Dangerous-looking, black spikes run up each heel's spine.

Rouge's lipstick is an identical shade of red to her shoes. She's also wearing the top from earlier, accompanied by a flowing, dark chiffon skirt which has a seductive slit running up one leg, all the way to the top of her thigh. The outfit hugs her curves wonderfully and is enhanced by the billowing red cloak tied around her shoulders.

She bears a grin as everyone stares at her, entranced, and Silver focuses on the false fangs poking out against her lips.

"Bat got your tongue?" She teases, sliding her hands over her hips.

Sonic snickers.

"Lovin' the crazy scientist look, Foxboy," Rouge affectionately ruffles his wig and Tails laughs, before batting her hand away. She runs an appreciative eye over Sonic's costume, "Metal, huh? Original. I like it."

"HA! See! Rouge remembered!" Proudly, Sonic throws his hands up in Knuckles' direction. The echidna huffs and fumes.

"Bite me."

"Nah, I'll leave that to her."

Knuckles grumbles and blushes.

"Don't get all coy, Knuckie. I'm loving the leather," Rouge has a purring lilt in her voice, as she trails her eyes over his form.

He flexes, slightly, and pinches the rim of his hat — then he runs his thumb around the edge of it, "I'm Van Helsing. The Vampire Slayer," He shoots a knowing look at Sonic, sounding proud. And pleased that she's noticed.

"Ooh," With her gaze lingering on the hat, Rouge smirks, "And I'm a vampire. How fortunate. Or unfortunate, depending on whether or not you're going to try and slay me."

"Stay on my good side and I'll restrain myself," Knuckles tosses back, suggestively. Silver wonders if he knows that he's flirting. Maybe it's the beer; maybe it's not.

"I can't promise anything," Her voice grows sultry, as she reaches behind him to pick up a glass of red wine from the table. They're very close now.

"Guys, please! Public space with innocent bystanders!" Sonic chastises, clamping his hands over Cream's ears, who's laughing at the Blue Blur's charade. He jokingly yells over his shoulder, "Tails, cover your ears! I don't have enough hands but I can't have those two ruining your innocence!" The fox joins in with the laughter.

Rouge smirks and purses her lips, possibly poised to say something equally outrageous, to bait either Knuckles or Sonic. But her mouth instead stretches into a smile when Omega clunks into the room.

Sonic and Cream go wide-eyed. The blue hedgehog distractedly drops his hands from her head.

"Whoa!" Tails lowly whistles, "You came as a tree? That is awesome!"

"Very impressive," Blaze adds.

Silver, too, is slack-jawed. Omega is decorated, head to toe, with bark chippings — Chaos knows how they're sticking to him — and papier mache branches are fixed to his shoulders, stretching out and holding a canopy of tissue-paper leaves above his head. The foliage rustles as he walks, mimicking the sound of wind in a forest.

"Is it all homemade?" Silver asks and blows out his breath when Omega gives an affirmative nod, "Wow. That's fantastic!"

Knuckles strokes the underside of his jaw, thoughtfully, "Just how did you get all that tree bark on by yourself?"

Rouge laughs, "Oh, that was Shadow's handiwork. He spent hours sticking it onto your panels, right, Omega? He has much more patience for that kind of stuff than I do."

"Shadow's assistance was extremely appreciated," Omega states, "I am pleased by the result of his labour."

Silver smiles, wistfully and painfully. Shadow is surprisingly domestic in many ways and yet frightfully cold in many others. Just how many other sides are there to him, that Silver doesn't know about?

"Chao, chao! Chaaaaao!" Cheese pops up out of nowhere (or perhaps he flew in from the kitchen, judging by the chocolate syrup smudged around his mouth, which he quickly licks away). The chao's head is poking out of a star costume, which encompasses his entire body and looks like it's swallowed him whole. Cheese twirls in the air, confidently, and proceeds to spin in a circle so quickly that he flows into a tornado of baby-blue and glittering gold.

Omega whirrs and angles his scanners downwards, as the little chao dances about in front of him.

Cream giggles at Cheese's antics, "Cheese loves your outfit, Mr Omega! You both have a nature theme — Cheese is a shooting star! Doesn't he look cute?"

"I'd approximate that the blue chao qualifies for eighty-seven percent of a maximum total of cuteness," When the rabbit cocks her head in bemusement, Omega straightens and visibly checks himself, "Yes. I find it to be cute."

"Aw! Did you hear that, Cheese?" Cream chirrups, accompanied by pleased singing from Cheese.

The rest of them join in the laughter, finding the entire display profoundly adorable.

It's only when his laughter starts to fade away that Silver happens to look up and see Shadow strolling into the room.

He's a masterpiece. Shadow's sullen expression doesn't even detract from his attractiveness — in fact, it even seems to add to it. His red streaks are beautifully complimented by the devil horns and tail attached to his body and Shadow twirls a plastic, red pitchfork with such skill that it's enough to make Silver swoon.

Lust flares up and it feels as though his stomach is swallowing. Shadow in a devil costume is more than enough to fill Silver's mind with sinful things and temptation. The strapped-on angel wings become a little heavier on his back, all of a sudden.

And to add to Silver's overload of feelings, it seems that Shadow is drinking in Silver's appearance also, slowly and carefully.

"How's that for a coincidence?" Sonic raises his eyebrows and gestures towards them both, "Silver and Shadow are a matching pair! I'm sorry, Knux and Rouge, but they might outdo you for the couples' costume!"

Knuckles shakes his head, "Sure, if any of us were a couple."

"Could've fooled me," Rouge says, ambiguously, and then smirks.

The Angel and the Devil share a long, silent look.

Then Amy appears in the doorway, lugging a box of apples into view, "Okay, guys, now that everyone's here, how about we start off with a traditional Halloween game? Who's up for Bobbing for Apples?"

Oh. Apples.

* * *

"Would you like some help?"

Silver grunts, as the bottle-opener unsuccessfully snaps off the bottle cap, again. Glancing over his shoulder, he smiles and accepts defeat. Shadow is idly leaning against the kitchen wall, dangling a half-empty bottle between his fingertips.

"If you don't mind?" Silver steps aside, leaving the items on the counter.

Shadow deposits his own drink beside Silver and removes the beer cap in one swift flick of his wrist, before tossing it into Amy's bin. He gestures towards the beer, as a wispy vapour curls out of the lip, but he doesn't move back.

"Thank you," Silver says, holding his gaze, even as he approaches, picks up the bottle — their arms brush — and takes a cold sip.

The Ultimate Life Form raises his chin and does the same.

Silver places his drink back on the counter, desperately trying to ignore the way Shadow's bottom lip curls against the rim of the bottle, all plush and pillowed.

"I didn't know that you drank," The time traveller comments, picking at the beer's label.

Shadow gives a short hum of acknowledgement, "Rouge's influence. She owns a nightclub and I help out, sometimes. We live in the apartment above."

 _I know_. Silver involuntarily smirks at this thought, but schools his features into something less suspicious and less drunk. Dammit — it suddenly washes over him — he's drunk. That's probably not good.

"You help run a nightclub?" Silver repeats, slowly swaying, just because it feels kinda nice. Luckily, Shadow hasn't noticed, "What's that like?"

"Rowdy, mostly."

Silver laughs, open and unrestrained. He's still wearing a gummy smile, even as he straightens up — huh, he must have rocked forward, at some point — and he grins even harder when he sees Shadow smiling. Confused, but properly, noticeably smiling.

"You're not a regular drinker," Shadow states, eyes flickering over Silver, still smiling, oh-so-softly.

"I'm that obvious?" Silver doesn't even worry about how liltingly flirty that sounded.

Taking another sip, Shadow smirks, "A little."

Silver laughs again.

"You should laugh more often."

"Yeah?" The grey hedgehog ignores the growing warmth in his chest. It's an innocent comment. He shouldn't read into it too deeply, "Why's that?"

Shadow shrugs, a bit embarrassed, "You— I've heard it's good for you."

"Maybe I'll give it a try then," Silver hauls himself up onto the kitchen counter, "Might as well. Nothing else is helping to make me feel any better about Mephiles."

WHY DID HE SAY THAT?!

The two of them hear a sudden eruption of laughter from the living room. The others are supposedly playing Never Have I Ever — a PG version, of course, for Cream's sake — but when Silver had excused himself to get another drink, the game had descended into a wild, unhinged jaunt down memory lane. Silver suspects that he's not the only one who's a little bit tipsy. Tails, Omega and Cream have never touched alcohol, and Sonic took one sniff of beer before being reminded that he "hates the stuff, it just makes me feel woozy, even the smell sucks." But Blaze has been delicately sipping cocktails with Amy and is a lot more giggly than usual; the pink hedgehog is rosy-cheeked and a little off-balance, but she's revelling in having Sonic fuss over her like an out-of-his-depth boyfriend.

Which, who knows, maybe he is.

It's hard to tell whether Shadow has passed his tolerance or not. He's been steadily drinking all night and it's much easier to make him smile, but not much else is different.

Silver snorts, quickly and happily pushing Mephiles out of his mind, "They sound like they're having fun."

"Yes," Shadow distractedly agrees, toying with his devil horns. Silver watches for a moment and wonders what Shadow would do if he was suddenly pushed up against the wall and kissed, "Would you like to join me outside? It's warm in here and it will sober you up."

"Um. Sure," Because why would he say no?

But when Silver doesn't immediately follow, Shadow takes a hold of his wrist and waits for Silver to slide down from the counter, guiding him out of the kitchen, through the hallway, past the stairs, towards the front door. Silver's mind screams _touching touching touching_ as he stares at Shadow's fingers wrapped firmly around his hand.

Then Shadow abruptly stops and Silver just about manages not to walk into a face-full of sharp, black and red quills.

"What is it? What's—" Silver paws at Shadow's hand — which is still holding, gripping, lingering — before turning to see what made him stop, "Oh."

Knuckles and Rouge are heavily making out on Amy's staircase.

Silver is briefly transfixed. Rouge is lying against the right-angles of the stairs, elbows propped up, one leg bent, vampire cloak discarded. Knuckles leans over the top of her, with his hat dangerously close to sliding off and his hands remaining at her sides. Their eyes are closed and they're deeply kissing, somehow getting even closer to one another every time they bob their heads. There's no sign of them stopping.

Curious and inebriated, Silver's mind conjures up thoughts before he can push them away: Does Shadow kiss so vigorously? Would he be on top? What does it feel like? How did they get to this point? What do _I_ have to do to get to that point?

Shadow clears his throat and all three of them jump.

Knuckles springs away from Rouge, narrowly managing to stay upright as he leans against the wall for support. The ivory bat leans further back and laughs, triumphant and sultry.

"Hello, boys. You could've picked a better time, you know."

"Perhaps you should have picked somewhere less public," Shadow snaps back, suddenly ruffled and irritated. Silver frowns.

Knuckles stretches up to his full height and starts wildly shaking his head, "No, we weren'—! It wasnnn'—! I swear s'not—!"

Shadow huffs, "It clearly was."

Folding her arms, Rouge sits up and points an accusatory finger at the ebony hedgehog, "Don't be so sour, Shadow. It's not his fault that I won the bet."

Silver glances at Shadow. What bet?

" _Rouge_."

"Looks like you're doing the dishes for the next two weeks."

Shadow then jerks away and releases the latch on the front door, storming out into the night air, with Silver stumbling after him. Shadow still hasn't let go of his wrist.

The door loudly slams shut, just as Rouge proclaims that they will continue, _so don't wait up, Grumpy_.

Shadow slackens his grip and Silver's wrist falls back to his side.

"What was that all about?" Silver muses aloud, watching as Shadow strides away from the house and then turns back around. The time traveller leans back against the wall and folds his arms, as warmth against the light chill. Soon enough, Shadow joins his side and exhales.

"Hell if I know."

Silver actually wasn't only asking about Knuckles and Rouge.

The wall is cold and faintly wet — Silver's not sure how that's possible, because everything has been bone-dry for days — and the clouds in the night sky look like they're suspended in water, sailing across an invisible ocean. Silver's gaze drifts towards the moon; it looks different to his own, but he knows that it's the same, just two-hundred years older. This moon is partially shattered, with shards of rock visibly floating, close to the crater, where pieces used to fit together to make a whole. Silver's moon is unbroken and full — he's ashamed to say he doesn't remember enough history to know when it was fixed.

"What happened to your moon?" He asks.

Shadow doesn't raise head, instead drifting in a whole different bubble of thought, "Eggman broke it."

Silver's head whips around, "You're kidding me. How does someone even do that?"

"I've told you about the Space Colony ARK," His tone is flatter, more grounded: it's a difficult subject, clearly. Silver nods, as Shadow runs his hand across the bumpy surface of Amy's house.

"Yeah. That's where you lived, for a while?"

"With Gerald and Maria," Shadow's voice abandons him on the last syllable. The ' _ah'_ drifts off into the air, "Aboard it is the Eclipse Canon, which Eggman used to destroy half the moon's surface, using the power of the Chaos Emeralds. Gerald was the one who built it, originally."

Silver nods. He's never heard of this Eclipse Canon, but he's keeping up, "How did Eggman find out about?"

"I led him to it," With resigned dejection, Shadow turns to give Silver a look which damn near breaks the time traveller's heart, "He awoke me from cryostasis — he read about me in Gerald's journals, who was his grandfather — and I was confused. I'd been ejected from the ARK, after GUN's shutdown of it, and I had no idea who I was, what my purpose was or what this world was like. All I knew was that there was no Maria and this Doctor knew a lot of the answers. So I worked for him."

Maria, again. Whoever she was, she was extremely important to Shadow.

"I don't blame you," Shadow frowns at Silver's confident assurance. But it's true — there's no part of Silver that blames Shadow, none at all. He knows how easy it is to be misguided and manipulated, "I did the same thing, once."

Shadow's shoulders droop, "You didn't nearly destroy the entire planet, in your confusion."

"No," _I did much worse_ , "But I did nearly destroy time itself."

They lock eyes. Shadow's stare runs across the curves of Silver's face, intrinsically, searching for a hint of mockery or sarcasm. He finds none and, whilst his eyes soften in regret, a sad smile pulls at his lips, "That would have posed a problem."

"Destroying half of the moon doesn't sound so bad now, does it?" Silver wryly (and brokenly) grins back at him. If it were anyone else — if anyone else had tried to smile at Silver's situation — he would have crumbled in despair. But Shadow is different. He's in the same boat and is, maybe, even more damaged by it all than Silver is.

Shadow sighs, "But you learnt from your mistake. I went on to fall for the same thing, years later, and create even more damage," His teeth go to worry at his lower lip, but he stops himself and clamps his jaw shut, "I know Rouge told you about Westopolis and the invasion."

"Only the bare details. She didn't want to invade your privacy."

"It's all over the internet. I have no privacy," Suddenly, Shadow's eyes gloss over and he begins to narrate a rehearsed explanation that he's probably told a hundred times before. Maybe Silver was wrong: maybe this was the event that broke him, not the ARK, "I was suffering from amnesia when an alien race called the Black Arms invaded. They came out of nowhere — their leader, Black Doom, came to me and said he knew about my past. I agreed to help him, in exchange for information. It's exactly the same as before! Only, this time, Sonic pled with me to stop, but I was merciless."

"You stopped them, though. Rouge told me you saved the world."

"When I finally came to my senses, yes. But it didn't save the hundreds of lives that had already been lost."

"No. But it saved millions that might have been lost. They wouldn't be alive, if it wasn't for you," Silver consoles himself with similar thoughts daily, when he starts to think about what could have happened if Elise hadn't been able to bring Sonic back; what could have happened if Amy hadn't stopped him; what could have happened if Solaris had won, "I feel the same, when I think about what I did. It's not easy, but I have to find a way to live with myself."

Shadow looks at him, like he's seeing Silver for the very first time in his life, "You're the first person who actually understands what it's like."

"I wish I didn't. I wish neither of us did."

"...I wish that too."

Silver's palm is flat, resting against the wall, slowly freezing as the chill seeps through his gloves. The two of them continue to watch each other, in disbelief, as they finally realise that perhaps they're not quite as alone as they first thought.

Then Shadow's hand touches Silver's, tentatively — their hands are still pressed against the wall, still independent, but the edges of their palms are connected. Neither of them move.

"There you guys are!"

Shadow snatches his hand away.

With a dopey grin, Knuckles stumbles over and places his hand on the Ultimate Life Form's shoulder, leaning against him for support, "O-kay. Hi. Whatcha up to?"

"Nothing," They say, simultaneously.

"Cooool."

"Are you drunk?" Shadow snaps.

"A lil'."

"Why are you even out here?"

"Shadow..." Silver breathes, pleadingly, and raises his eyebrows when Shadow frowns in response. Utterly serene, Knuckles lets Shadow's rudeness wash over him and patiently waits for their heated look to die down, not really taking anything in.

Sighing, Shadow shakes his head, before turning back to the echidna, "What do you need?"

"Oh, 'nuffin. I just wann'd to talk. About what you saw. Yanno?"

"No."

"You know! The thing! With me!"

"Please just stop talking."

"Do you mean the thing between you and Rouge?" Silver interjects, before Shadow can shove Knuckles' face into the wall. He can tell that the ebony hedgehog is becoming more and more exasperated. He feels a small spark of pride that this has only developed since they were interrupted, "You wanted to talk to us about that?"

"Yeaaaaaah. Yeah, that."

"Okay. So...?"

"Oh, right. Cool. Um, d'ya think you guys could keep it under tabs?"

"Under what?" scoffs Shadow.

"Tabs?" With varying volume as he speaks, Knuckles glances over both shoulders before raising his index finger and roughly shoving it into Shadow's face, just missing his lips, "Secret? Roushhe said I wouldn' wan' people to know. Somethin' about Sonic..."

Silver smiles, watching Shadow grumpily batting Knuckles' hand away. He innocently shrugs when Shadow sends him a questioning look, even as he fights a blush, "It must be important. He shushed you and everything."

"Feel free to step in whenever you like," But the ebony hedgehog rolls his eyes gently.

"Maybe Roushe had a point about you guys..."

Stiffening, Shadow glares at Knuckles, "What does that mean?"

"Uhhh. Nuffin. Jussss...she said you guys are even more sshubborn than me," The echidna blinks, "I don't think thatsh a good thing."

There's an uncomfortable silence. Silver suspects that Rouge perhaps said more to Knuckles that he's letting on; despite the slurring and the general out-of-it-attitude, he doesn't seem to have lost all of his inhibitions to drunkenness.

"That's rich of Rouge to talk about stubbornness."

Silver glances at Shadow: he's mad now. A seething, boundless-energy kind of mad. But his face is utterly tranquil and it's a little bit frightening (but also a tiny bit attractive). From observing this reaction — and witnessing the tense shortness between Shadow and Rouge on the stairs — Silver suspects that there's a point of contention, between the two GUN agents, about something and it's causing bad feeling between them.

"Are you okay?" Silver asks.

"I'm _fine!_ " After a pause, Shadow sighs, guiltily, at the grey hedgehog's hurt expression, "Really. I'm just... working through things. Knuckles, can you show me where Rouge is? I need to talk to her."

"Sure," The echidna heads towards the door, pushing it open and waiting for the Ultimate Life Form in the hallway.

Shadow follows after him, but stops and looks at Silver, "I'm sorry."

"I-It's okay," He says, completely taken aback. He hadn't been expecting that — everything has turned, so quickly, from when they were giggling in the kitchen together, "Really."

"You deserve better."

Shadow disappears inside. Silver has no idea whether he meant for him to hear that.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading this chapter! I'd love to hear what you thought of it!**

 **Also, _Butterflies with Broken Wings_ now has some beautiful fanart! Speeshulartz ever so kindly drew a scene from Chapter 1, when Shadow intimidates Silver, and it looks freakin' incredible! I love it and implore you to check it out! I have posted the link below, in Chapter 1 and on my profile! :D**

Who Sent You? by Speeshulartz ( speeshularts. tumblr post/ 163155677235/ w-h-o-s-e-n-t-y-o-u-i-wanted-to-draw-a)


	10. Erotology

**This chapter was possibly one of the most challenging to write, so far, as I wanted to get it absolutely perfect. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out though! ^w^**

 **Replies**

 **Thank you SO much to:** IslandoftheMidnightSun, Failsona, Guest, Ren, Aura Creed, TenshiHaou **and** MysteryGirl **! Thank you so so so much for all your support and heart-warming comments. I appreciate it so much :'3**

IslandoftheMidnightSun - **Oh my gosh, that is so so so flattering, thank you so much! :'3 And I'm so glad that the angel and devil costumes were a hit! I may have to consider bringing them back, in some way...haha! It makes me ridiculously happy to hear that I've reawakened someone's passion for a ship, through my work, and I'd encourage you whole-heartedly to write a Shadilver oneshot! I'd love to read it! :D**

Failsona - **Hahaha! I applaud your #EvilNinja skills! ;D Oh noes, I must try harder to bring out the inner theorist again~! Awww, hopefully this chapter will put your heart back together again! (Though, as always with my stories, be prepared for it to break again, because I can't go two chapters without putting characters through torment XD). Thank you so much for your continued support, I appreciate it more than words can convey!**

Guest - **Awwww, haha! ...Maybe ;} I also predicted that I wouldn't update in time for Halloween and was sadly proven right! X'D It makes me so happy that you thought the chapter was cute!**

Ren - **Helloooo! :D Gah, it still makes me all giddy to think that my chapter made you nearly fall off the couch! xD N'awwww, thank you ever so much! Bahahaha, that made me laugh so much — exactly, as Shadow points out, there's a time and a place, Knuckles and Rouge! x'D Hehe, Rouge is on the ball here! Blaze actually breaks my heart, I hate (but also kinda love) doing this to her D': Thank you so much for checking the fan art out! Speesh is an incredible artist!**

Aura Creed - **Thank you so much! I'm so happy that you enjoyed the two chapters! :'3 Oooh, absolutely, Blaze and Silver are going to experiencing some hard truths soon. Gahhhhh, thank you! I definitely want to explore the grittiness of their issues and let them explore them together, so there will definitely be more conversations like that to come! Along with a few other things ;D Awwww, thank you ever so much! I'll try not to!**

TenshiHaou - **I'm so glad to hear that, thank you! It warms my heart to hear that you're enjoying my story so much!**

MysteryGirl - **Eeeeek, thank you ever so much! Oh gosh, Mephiles is rather creepy in this, isn't he? I really hope you enjoy this next chapter!**

* * *

 **10\. Erotology**

* * *

"Harder."

Silver smashes his fist into Shadow's face.

The Ultimate Life Form's head snaps sideways with a sickening crunch. Shadow firmly grasps the curve of his jaw, tracing the line for any breakages, and swallows down the blood, "Again."

"Shadow," Wincing, Silver rubs the back of his right hand, attempting to soothe the throbbing of his knuckles and the guilt in his stomach, "Maybe we should take a break for today. My hand feels like it's about to break and this can't be good for your jaw."

"Alright," Gruffly, Shadow relents and lets Silver fall out of his fighting stance, before stepping back, "We'll continue in the next session. We still need to build up your core strength and pain tolerance."

"Okay," Hot and flushed and breathing deeply, Silver sighs at the sweltering sky. Their training has gone on a lot longer than usual, as Shadow doesn't need to report to GUN today — they've been sparring under the boiling sun for the past two hours. There's a cold trickle of sweat drying along Silver's quill-line, the curve of his jaw and the pits of his arms. Oddly, his thick, heavy boots haven't created much sweat but, when Silver stops moving, he can feel the heat building inside them like a faulty pressure-cooker.

Even Shadow releases a drawn-out sigh, tired and overheating.

Shyly, Silver peers at him, whilst the ebony hedgehog's back is turned. Things have been different between them, ever since Amy's Halloween party, even though they've only interacted during their training sessions. The atmosphere between them is bafflingly bipolar: their conversation continuously switches from beatifically calm to tensely profound in a heartbeat. It feels as though they're toeing a line and it's inevitable that they will one day cross it.

Neither of them knows what is on the other side.

Silver knows what he would like to find on the other side. Until recently, he'd resigned himself to accepting that any reciprocated feelings were a wild fantasy, because Shadow is _Shadow_ and Silver is _Silver_ and it would never happen.

But everything has been thrown up into the air, so suddenly, that now he's not entirely sure.

(The touching of their hands had definitely hovered over the line.)

With that pitiful hope that only comes from being lovesick, Silver wonders if he's being offered a chance by some volatile twist of fate, even though he knows it's absurd. He'd never forgive himself if he knew that he'd had a shot and had stubbornly ignored it.

His thoughts drift back to Amy's tarot card reading: The Lovers.

 _"You need to tell them how you feel!"_

Silver remains still, watching Shadow curve his arm outwards, glove pulled taut against his hand, arm muscles flexing and shoulder-blades sharpening. The Ultimate Life Form's back is achingly straight and, when he catches Silver's eye, it uncoils even more, somehow. Shadow tilts his head, curious and attentive to Silver's movements. He blinks, adorably wide-eyed. Something in Silver bolsters.

"Shadow?"

"Yes?"

"What are you doing tonight?"

The words steal Silver's breath as they leave his lips. He waits and Shadow frowns, twisting his hips to address him, face-on.

"Nothing specific. Club Rouge is often busy on a Friday and Rouge appreciates the help," Shadow's brow furrows further at the disappointed slouch of Silver's shoulders, "I do not have a scheduled shift, however. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I just… um, I was wondering if… whether you'd like to… uh, meet?"

"Meet?" His face briefly clears with realisation, "You wish to train?"

"N-No. No. That wasn't what I—" Silver takes a deep breath (one…two…three) and swallows, "I was thinking dinner."

"Dinner?"

"Yes."

"What for?"

Silver chuckles, nervously, and wishes that the ground could swallow him whole. Alternatively, now would be a great time for Mephiles to show up, "Does there have to be a reason?"

"No," Judging by the flash of perplexity, Shadow hadn't expected his reply to shoot out so quickly, "No, I suppose not. It's just… unexpected."

"Unexpected?"

"Why do you want to have dinner with me?"

 _Because I've spent months dreaming about it, dreaming of anything that involves you_ , "I like spending time with you."

"Why? I'm not— My conversation isn't—" Shadow clumps his mouth shut, clearly frustrated — but with himself rather than Silver — and glares to the right, "You would not say that if you knew me."

Silver smiles, oddly charmed by Shadow's insecurity, but also deeply saddened by it, "Then dinner might be a good way for us to get to know each other."

"How would dinner even affect—?" As Shadow snaps his gaze back to Silver and clarity floods into his eyes, the time traveller goes numb with fear and dread, "You're asking me on a date."

A knot tightens in Silver's stomach and it broods there, as he gabbles, "I-I'm sorry, I've read this wrong, I didn't mean it like that, just forget I said—!"

"Okay."

Silver's heart stutters, splutters and stops, "—W-What?"

"I'd be open to that," Shadow has turned his back during Silver's bradycardia; he looks over his shoulder and softens at the grey hedgehog's gob-smacked expression. A bright light dances in his eyes and it can only be described as hopeful, "A date. With you. That is what you're proposing?"

"I— um. Yes. I guess so."

"Good," Refuelled with something — Silver can't tell what it is, but it almost looks like Shadow has a spring in his step — the Ultimate Life Form heads for the exit of the clearing, without looking back. But he pauses at the mouth and Silver straightens when their eyes meet, "I will come to you. Be ready for seven."

With a low _swshhhhhhhhh_ , Shadow skates away.

Silver is silent and stunned.

Then he suddenly finds that he can't stop smiling, as butterfly wings beat against the insides of his stomach.

* * *

There's a deep, earth-rumbling purr of an engine on the dot of seven, that evening.

Sonic raises a knowing eyebrow at Silver, from the other side of the couch. He abandons the magazine spread out in his lap — which Silver suspects he hadn't been reading anyway — and leaps towards the windows, ducking his head underneath the living room curtains and peering out, tail twitching.

"Ha! I _knew_ it!"

Silver gets to his feet, as Sonic slides back out from under the fabric, "Knew what?"

"He's pulled out his trump-card. His guaranteed-to-cause-heart-failure-tactic," Sonic smirks, folding his arms and rhythmically tapping his foot against the floor, "You're a special one, Silv. He doesn't bring that ol' thing out for just anybody."

The grey hedgehog swallows, fearful of what Sonic is implying, wondering if the Blue Blur has worked out that Silver's evening with Shadow has heavier connotations than just 'hanging out'. Sonic is the only other person in the Workshop, right now — Tails and Blaze have gone out to collect some supplies from Station Square — and so Silver had reluctantly told Sonic that he would be spending the evening with Shadow, hoping to avoid confusion about why the Ultimate Life Form has suddenly rocked up to Mystic Ruins. Sonic had been surprised by the news, but not _too_ surprised, and that had instantly sent Silver into a miniature hurricane of panic.

This miniature hurricane was promptly sucked into a gigantic typhoon of worry, which has been growing stronger ever since Shadow agreed to go on a date with him.

"I should probably go out there," Silver says, trying to convince himself rather than Sonic.

"Yep! He's waiting for ya," Sonic saunters towards the front door and releases the latch, encouragingly holding it open, "Have fun! Don't go too crazy, ya hear?"

With his heart swimming in his mouth, Silver nods and steps outside into the gorgeous tropical surroundings of the Workshop. Sonic watches from the doorway, proudly, leaning. As Silver shyly glances over his shoulder, he sees the blue hedgehog send an amused wink in Shadow's direction, before retreating back into the house.

"Hello."

Silver faces forward, numb.

"Hi."

"Are you ready?"

"I am," He quickly reassesses himself, as he peers down at his body. Silver hadn't wanted to put Shadow off, so he looks as he usually does, but he has freshened up, sprayed a few tentative squirts of sandalwood-scented aftershave and run a quick comb through his quills. He's extremely glad that he did, "Are you?"

"Yes," It's only as Silver trails his gaze down Shadow's frame — jeez, he hasn't even altered anything, either, but he still looks unfairly beautiful — that he notices the vehicle that the ebony hedgehog has been leaning against.

"…Oh, Chaos."

Shadow frowns, follows Silver's line of sight, and relaxes, "Ah. I see. My motorbike does tent to attract a fair bit of attention."

Silver can see why.

Painstakingly polished and glossy, the black motorbike vainly sings in the sunlight, with metal cannisters reflecting light beams in all different directions. The thick, shock-absorbent rubber tires have skid marks across the outer surface, but otherwise they look almost brand-new. The handlebars are long and low for easier handling and a more classical look, but the single headlight is modern and strong for practicality. Silver eyes up the white insignia stamped on the side — the letter G, surrounded by stars — and wonders if the motorbike has a connection to GUN.

"It's beautiful," Silver breathes, eagerly stepping closer, as Shadow stands, flattered, and allows him to take a closer look, "Does it have a name?"

When Shadow doesn't answer, the time traveller looks up. He's wearing a bemused, yet fond, smile, "A name?"

"Yeah. Like Tails calling his plane the Tornado. Do you call your motorbike anything?"

Shadow stares at him, for a moment, before fixing his gaze on the ground and trailing his left hoverskate through the grass, "Dark Rider."

"Dark Rider?" Silver smiles and runs an appreciative hand over the bike's bodywork, silently thanking it for protecting its rider, which he's sure it's done, many a time, "I like it. It's fitting."

Now adamantly looking at the sky, Shadow is struggling to cover up the slight tinge on his cheeks.

"Shall we go?" He asks, gruff but not unfriendly. With a single, fluid movement, Shadow swings his leg over the seat and settles into position, looking ridiculously attractive atop the motorbike.

"…Sure," Stomach fluttering, Silver mirrors Shadow's movements and sinks behind the ebony hedgehog. Utterly unintentionally, they sit close together, pressing into the small space, and Silver can feel himself burning hotter and hotter, as his legs graze Shadow's.

"You need to put your arms around my waist."

Removing his vice-like grip from the rims of the motorbike, Silver does as he is told, settling his palms against the jut of Shadow's hipbones. He breathes.

"Is this okay?"

"…That's fine."

With a brisk kick and a twist of the handle, the engine roars to life and screams to be unleashed. They take off almost instantly, sliding away down the dusty path, from the Workshop to the city, moving as easily as if they were tearing across ice. Silver throws his arms around the entirety of Shadow's waist and squeezes, tightly, pressing his cheeks against his neck, eyes firmly shut.

Privately, Shadow smiles.

Eventually, Silver dares to open his eyes and watches, in wonderment, as the world blurs into nothing.

Shadow takes a quick glance over his shoulder, "Do you have a destination in mind?"

"It's a surprise."

"Alright. Direct me."

* * *

It's all kind of perfect, really.

Silver sighs, a smile etched on his face, as the night air caresses his skin, fresh and cooling. Elbows propped upon the bridge's stone wall, he stares up at the altar to the Sun God of Soleanna — or, rather, Solaris — which dwells in the centre of Soleanna's huge, central bay. The grey hedgehog's eyes trace the curves of the monument, mapping the path which flames would take to reach the giant bowl on top, where Princess Elise had once laid a torch and lit a huge breath of fire to ignite the sculpture.

Tonight, the altar is quiet and unlit.

But the city is alive and burning with light: the annual Festival of the Sun is approaching, and preparations are already being made. Gorgeous, red balls of light have been dotted around the bay — they twinkle from the roofs of houses, stretch across the gaps between buildings, clamber along the rise and fall of bridges. Silver is encircled by light, standing beneath the archway upon the central bridge, and everything is just so beautiful. The gondolas bob upon the water's surface, carrying golden fairy lights that are strung across the oars and helms.

It's the City of Water but, truthfully, it's also the City of Light.

The evening breeze brushes his fur back, cupping his face and shaping his quills with particularly cutting bursts of wind. Up here, the streets are surprisingly desolate compared to the walkways below; they teem with ant-sized people, making Silver feel god-like above them. He swallows, huddles into himself, and looks upwards. The sky is a deep, navy blue, smudged with charcoal.

"—ntly, for the festival, Princess Elise herself is going to light the fire! She's so pretty! I can't wait to see what she wears up close—!"

Silver peers over his shoulder, watching the two girls pass behind him, wrapped up in their own world of wonder and gossip. He stares after them, somewhat longingly, as he pictures the frightened princess, surrounded by gunfire, being swept up by a blue hedgehog. Silver remembers how his glove had stretched against his fist, as he'd watched from above, simmering.

"Am I interrupting?"

The grey hedgehog turns in the other direction. Instinctively, a smile spreads across his lips.

"Of course not," Silver smoothly responds, as Shadow joins him at the bridge's balcony and places the paper bags on the stone ledge. The Ultimate Life Form raises an eyebrow, but he just seems somewhat amused, rather than irritated.

"Good," Satisfied, Shadow reaches into the bag and removes a Styrofoam burger box, handing it to Silver, before also offering a paper cone of chips.

Silver takes them and then pauses, guiltily, "You know, when I said dinner—"

"We've discussed this," Shadow tells him, distractedly examining his own burger, after unwrapping it.

"I know, but I was the one who offered dinner, even though you shot off to get it, when we arrived, before I could stop you…" Silver's jaw grows ever-so-slightly slack, as Shadow sinks his teeth into his meal and chews, with an almost mystified expression. The grey hedgehog stifles a laugh: even _he's_ had a burger before, "…Uh. Just. What I'm trying to say is… I would have taken you to a restaurant. If you'd wanted. And paid. So. We could've done that. Just—"

"I appreciate your insistence that I am not just a cheap date."

Silver looks at Shadow. He notices the teasing glint in those crimson eyes and pouts.

"You know what I'm trying to say."

Shadow smirks, "Really, Silver, I prefer this with you. In recent years, I've gained a certain… notoriety, that would be recognised in such a public place. This is good."

Sonic would probably say that Silver has just received the highest form of praise possible from Shadow.

Smiling to himself, Silver blushes and delicately tears a chip in half, with his front teeth. Soft, amber lights are tanning the brick walls of the buildings around the river, illuminating them in the chilling dark. The water's surface ripples and dips, curling the reflection of floating boats, slinking along like molten silver.

"I was surprised that you took us here."

Silver looks at Shadow again. The ebony hedgehog doesn't look back, instead choosing to crumple his empty wrapper between his palms.

"Surprised? Why?"

Shadow fixes his stare on the bay, "Judging by both yours and Blaze's reactions when I told Sonic about Soleanna, neither of you are fond of the place."

"Oh," Silver picks at the remains of his chips. So he'd noticed, then. The time traveller feels embarrassed and a bit nervous — _does Shadow know the truth, has he worked it out already?_ — but there's also a sense of relief. He doesn't know why, "Are we that easy to read?"

"A little," Another sly smirk, "But it is my job to observe people."

"You know, _I_ was surprised when I heard that you worked for GUN."

His mouth straightens, "Yes, well. It wasn't an entirely voluntary process."

"You were forced to join?" When Shadow turns and stares at him, Silver schools his expression into something a little less horrified. The ebony hedgehog takes a slow, long look, "I-I'm sorry. That was really forward of me. You don't have to answer that."

"It's not that. It's just… my record wasn't exactly clean, before I joined. There's a lot of bad that you don't want to know."

"I do want to know the bad bits. Only if you want to tell me."

"I…" Shadow's jaw is methodically clenching and unclenching. Patiently, Silver waits, because he's clearly thinking things through, "I didn't tell you, before, because… well. Because, after killing twenty-four GUN agents during the invasion, I was offered the choice of working for GUN until I am gunned down, or a life sentence."

Shit, "…Gunned down?"

"There's only one way a GUN agent's career ends."

Silver has to turn and focus his eyes on the water's surface, furiously blinking, willing himself not to cry, because he knows Shadow would loathe that. He berates himself for getting upset — _Chaos, Silver, Shadow's the one who's dealing with all this, stop being so selfish!_ — and remains quiet.

"I didn't intend to lower the tone."

Desperately, Silver whips his head sideways in a vigorous shake and grabs Shadow's upper arm, frantic, "No! You didn't! I'm just… I-I'm honoured you told me that. And… I don't want to push you any more than I already have."

"You haven't."

"Good," The grey hedgehog's hand retreats, relieved.

Shadow nods, encouragingly, "Let's move onto lighter things."

"Right!" Shifting the paper cone into his left hand, Silver turns and gestures for them to continue their stroll across the bridge, towards the walkways. Shadow takes the lead and glances over his shoulder, making sure that Silver is at his side, which causes the time traveller's heart to swoop, just a little bit, "Maybe we should avoid all topics of conversation about our pasts. Just to be safe."

"That might be a good idea," He agrees, chuckling, "The present is preferable."

"Definitely."

The lower walkway is far busier, buzzing with excitement and utter ignorance of how momentous this is for the grey hedgehog who nervously walks among them. His boots thud against the stone, heavy and grounded, alongside the quiet but sharp clicks of Shadow's hover-skates.

"So, uh. You said you enjoy cooking, right?"

Shadow smirks and stares, eyes dancing, "You're asking questions again."

Silver falters, "Well. Yes?"

"You're nervous."

"Okay, maybe I _do_ ask questions when I'm nervous—!"

"Then I _do_ make you nervous," Shadow side-steps a hurrying passer-by; he's still smirking, still staring, "But it's not because you're scared."

Defiantly, the time traveller whips his head in the opposite direction, furiously fighting a blush, and clams up. He misses Shadow's triumphant nod and pleased grin.

"Have things been as you expected?"

Hearing the nonchalance of the question, Silver sends a light-hearted frown in Shadow's direction, "So now _you're_ asking the questions?"

He receives a raised eyebrow in response.

"You mean here, right? In this time?" Silver dumps his empty packaging in a nearby bin and pulls on the hem of his glove, "You know, I wasn't entirely sure what I was expecting. It's definitely a different world to mine, but… I don't know. There's something so hopeful about it. When times are tough, everyone just bands together."

"Not everyone is like that," Shadow counterargues,

"But we've been lucky enough to meet people who are. Other than Blaze, who's not even from the same dimension, there's no-one in my world like that."

"You are."

Genuinely surprised, Silver looks at him in earnest, "You think so?"

"I do. I've seen it for myself."

They've stopped in the centre of the sidewalk, transfixed by each other. A few people dodge past them, disgruntled by the obstruction, but no-one dares to protest and interrupt them.

Shadow breaks the stare first, opting to shuffle his foot and watch it trail across the flagstone, "It appears the conversation has become heavy again."

"This is why _I_ should ask the questions," Silver grins, feeling brave, for the first time.

And, for the first time, Shadow openly laughs.

* * *

With an underlying film of guilt, Silver's heart saddens as the motorbike purrs to a halt and he's obliged to unwind his arms from around Shadow's waist.

"It's honestly no trouble."

"Shadow, seriously. It's fine. I can make my own way back to the Workshop," The grey hedgehog arches his leg over the seat and hops down onto the pavement, starting to get the hang of the movement. He takes a step forward, leaving Shadow some room to do the same, and affectionately looks up at the buzzing neon-red sign for Club Rouge. The 'R' is now blinking, on and off, intermittently, "Besides, Mystic Ruins is completely out of your way. Club Rouge is a halfway point."

"At least come inside."

Silver spins and fights the temptation to check Shadow out, as he's leaning with one elbow resting against Dark Rider, sinfully attractive and inviting, "I'm not entirely sure that clubbing is my thing."

"Nor is it mine," Shadow pushes off and straightens, strolling towards the club's locked side-entrance, "I was talking about the apartment."

Silver freezes. The apartment... as in _his_ apartment. Shadow is asking him to come up to his apartment. Even without the date, that's pretty fantastic and Silver is kind of dancing inside. But _with_ the date... that's supposed to mean something, isn't it? Amy would know.

By this time, Shadow has unlocked the door — marked out by the "STAFF ONLY" sign bolted above — and is standing on the step, half in, half out.

He locks eyes with Silver and calmly says, "It's just an offer. You don't have to, if you don't want to."

But, oh, does he want to.

"I'd like that."

Shadow smiles and tips the door open wider, as Silver heads towards him.

He steps inside and it's as if he's been sucked into another dimension.

Hundreds of people are sweating, swaying and staggering. A conglomeration of bodies heave to the bass-line, clustering close to the speakers and spreading out over the light-up squares of the dancefloor in Club Rouge. Silver raises his eyebrows at the deafening volume accompanied by the whispering shouts of those who are singing along. More people line the sides of the room, clutching drinks — which are either bog-standard beer or elaborate neon cocktails — and some are busily distracted as they lock lips with one another. The place is teeming and Silver has never seen so much energy gathered in one place.

Shadow brushes against him, as he leans in, and raises his voice over the music, "We should let Rouge know that we're here."

Silver longingly gazes at him, as the Ultimate Life Form glances over his shoulder. The overhead UV lights are rapidly flickering from colour to colour amidst the moving red laser-pointers. Stunned, Silver watches as Shadow changes from duck-egg blue to lime green to blood orange to lemon yellow.

"Okay! Lead the way!" Silver yells back, only just making himself heard. Shadow nods and pivots, approaching the bar which stretches along the entire length of the back wall. Silver hurries after him, briefly distracted by the sticky feel of the floor, when he lifts his boots up to walk.

The bar is the busiest area by far. Youths squish together in their groups, shouting out various orders at slightly unravelled bartenders, who instantly spring to life when they start grabbing glasses and darting about, collecting various bottles and instruments to concoct the drinks. Somehow, Shadow manages to exert himself right into the fray of the huddle, separating a mildly disgruntled group of friends, and rests his elbows on the wooden surface of the bar. Silver quickly joins his side when he spots an opening.

Rouge is behind the counter, shaking a metal container with furious vigour, and gripping a twenty-dollar bill between her teeth. She empties the contents of the cylinder into a small glass, delicately adds a few ice cubes and positions a bright-pink umbrella at the side, before sliding the drink down the bar and plucking ten dollars out of the customer's hand. She's so practiced and smooth that Silver is in awe of her fluidity.

The ivory bat spins in place, opens the till and stuffs the cash into the drawer, closing it just as swiftly. When she turns back, her eyes fall on Shadow and Silver and she lights up, "Oh! I didn't expect to see you boys here. How was the 'not-a-date-because-Shadow's-trying-to-defend-Silver's-honour-but-I-totally-know-it-was-a-date' date?"

Shadow determinedly stares at the multi-coloured lights on the ceiling and Silver loudly laughs.

"It was really good," He says, utterly sincere, and when he moves to look at Shadow, the ebony hedgehog is staring back, surprised. Pleased.

Rouge is fondly smirking.

Shadow clears his throat, "Silver wanted to see the club."

"Of course he did! It's the talk of the town," Rouge throws her arm out in a grand sweep, lightly bowing, "Welcome to my den of iniquity, Silver!"

He grins, "It looks incredible! I can see why it's popular!"

"Why thank you, honey."

"Rouge," Shadow pauses, considering his words, "We're going up to the flat."

"Go ahead. I'm stuck here until four, breaking in the newbie 'tenders, so you'll have the place to yourselves."

The Ultimate Life Form nods his gratitude and steps back from the bar, tilting his head in Silver's direction, mutely asking him to follow. Silver smiles at Rouge and starts to turn, but she reaches over and grabs his arm before he has fully left.

Her lips are a breath's distance from his ear, "Be gentle. He's fragile, despite the bravado. Then again, I think that's what drew you to him in the first place."

Then she releases his arm, pushes him in Shadow's direction and focuses on hydrating the braying masses.

* * *

Rouge and Shadow's apartment is only two floors above the club, in the elevator, but Silver is sure that the ride takes at least a lifetime.

The metallic doors laboriously heave open and Shadow strides out before they've even slid all the way back. Silver tentatively steps out and follows him, wondering what has brought on this awkward tension, after such an engaging evening of flowing conversation.

When Silver reaches his side, the Ultimate Life Form is stiffly rattling a key in the lock of a polished, white, front door. It takes two forceful twists and a rough shove for the door to give way and swing open. Shadow walks in, with his mind irrevocably fixed on _something_ , judging by the frantic speed of his movements.

Silver wanders inside and shuts the door behind him. When he turns back, he notices that the layout of the flat isn't too dissimilar to the Workshop, oddly enough. Without a hallway, the front door opens into a huge room: kitchen worktops and appliances are arranged against the right-hand wall, before the area merges into a living room of a sleek, black leather couch reclining in front of a wall-mounted TV. The apartment is minimalist, as the room's focus is shared between the floor-to-ceiling cedar bookcase in one corner, and the wall-sized window panels which sit opposite. Thick, midnight-blue curtains are partially drawn over the glass, muffling the headlights of the cars outside.

He also spots three doors which lead off from the main room — two on either side of the TV, one by the kitchen — all equally identical, apart from the first, which is slightly ajar. Silver presumes that they must lead to Shadow's bedroom, Rouge's bedroom and the bathroom.

The whole place is so inexplicably _them_.

"You have a really nice apartment," Silver compliments, still admiring the lustrous aesthetic of the room, with its muted brown tones, even in the lights-off-darkness. Oddly, he's itching to scan the spines on the bookcase, to work out which books Shadow spends hours pouring over, which books he's enraptured by, which books he dislikes and actually belong to Rouge.

The flat is another piece of the perplexing puzzle that is Shadow, which Silver has yet to put together.

"Thank you. Rouge is responsible for the décor," Shadow moves towards the sink and gets himself a glass of water. He holds up another glass in Silver's direction, but the grey hedgehog shakes his head at the offer and Shadow just demurely takes a sip.

The uncomfortable silence crawls back in.

He _asked_ me _to come up,_ Silver reminds himself, shifting his weight as he glances at the front door. _And there's no-where I'd rather be, right now. But I'm not entirely sure why I'm here._

"Did you mean it?"

He frowns. Shadow is angled away from him, palms resting flat against the kitchen worktop, biceps tense and fraught. Silver can't help but be captivated by the long, smooth stretch of his spine. Shadow is completely still, as Silver asks, "Mean what?"

"That you want to know the bad bits."

Silver is shocked, "You've really been thinking about that, all this time…?"

"Did you mean it?"

"…Yes. I do mean it."

"You have no idea what you're letting yourself in for," Shadow leans back and pushes off the counter, head tipped across his shoulder, eyes fixed on Silver. He slowly steps closer, almost drunkenly, but Silver knows that he hasn't drunk a drop of alcohol, "There's so much you don't know. There are no _bits_ , Silver — it's all bad."

He's surprisingly calm, despite the furious hiss of Shadow's words. They're standing face to face now; close, but still inching closer. Silver peers into those crimson eyes and is surprised to see swathes of pain engulfing the anger, "I mean it. I want to know you."

"Then you're asking for trouble," The scowl deepens, "Or you're a fool."

Silver's heart is booming, "Neither of those are anything new."

Shadow kisses him.

There's a long throb of _whoa_ , before Silver finds himself naturally responding, opening up, losing himself, kissing back. Soon, he's not aware of anything but sensation: the strong pulsing of their lips and the burning warmth between them. Silver's brain has flat-lined.

Shadow pulls back. Silver's lips are moulded in his shape and they quiver at the loss of heat.

They stare at each other, amazed by themselves.

Clearing his throat, Shadow mumbles, "I'm sorry, that was an inappropriate assumption, I—"

Silver surges forward and brings their mouths together again.

Now there's an urgency in their kissing, as if the prospect has always been forbidden and — at last — they've finally been granted one moment of release. Shadow cups Silver's wrist, leading him further forward into the apartment, and the time traveller follows without another thought, curling his free hand around the column of Shadow's neck.

Their calves brush together as they walk. A moan hitches in Silver's throat and Shadow must feel it, because he hums in response, gruff and unrestrained. Their skin is on fire as they scramble to commit everything to memory: the sound of lips and tongues amid the darkness of the room. They're only able to believe that this is real by fervently running their hands across the plains and dips of the other's figure.

The backs of Silver's thighs suddenly smack into something sturdy and soft, forcing a small grunt from his mouth. Shadow and Silver part and glance down, huffing a shared laugh at the sight of the couch behind them — all the while tracing the lines of their shoulders, cupping the bends of their elbows, stroking the lengths of their forearms.

"The microwave is also here," Shadow captures his lips for only a moment, teasingly, "If you want to see it."

"I think I'm okay here, thanks," Silver grins through the next kiss, fully knowing that Shadow can feel the shape of it.

They're walking backwards again, still mesmerised in their exploration of each other, and Shadow's shoulder thuds against an open door, pushing it wider until they stumble into the room.

Shadow kicks the door closed with his shoe, as he lightly tugs on Silver's lower lip with his teeth. Silver smoulders in red-hot pleasure.

They collapse on the bed together, still entwined and entranced.

"You don't know how long—" Silver babbles out, in one breath, as Shadow breaks away to carefully kneel above him. As soon as the other is settled, Silver scrambles to pull them back together again.

Everything is on fire and it is glorious.

"Every damn time I saw you," Smoothing his hand along the entire stretch of Silver's arm, Shadow gently manoeuvres and holds the arm in place above Silver's head, resting it against the pillow. With improved access, he begins to suck kisses into the bolt of Silver's jaw, working his way down to the softness of his neck, the beating jugular, the sharp point of his collarbone, "It's been excruciating."

Silver is in the process of losing his mind, panting hot breaths, "Hypocrite."

Shadow laughs, sliding down, nuzzling his face into Silver's chest, tapping a melody on the xylophone of his ribs, dragging his lips to his stomach. Silver arches his back in bliss, stretching off the mattress and Shadow swiftly straddles him in order to keep him grounded.

It's only as Shadow presses a kiss to the jut of his hip that Silver admits, "I want you. I've always wanted you."

Shadow pauses in his ministrations. A cold burst of fear shoots through Silver's blood-stream.

But then, painfully slow, Shadow slinks up the entire length of his body and hovers over Silver's lips, eyes ablaze and bottomless as they soak up the admiration and nerves which are blaring from the golden eyes beneath.

"I'm here."


End file.
